French court bars Marine Le Pen from elections; imposes prison sentence

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, has been barred from holding public office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling European Union funds.

The ruling, issued by a Paris court on Monday, includes a four-year prison sentence—two years under house arrest and two suspended—as well as a €100,000 fine. The decision also disqualifies Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election.

The case centers on allegations that Le Pen and other party members misused EU funds between 2004 and 2016. According to investigators, funds intended to pay for parliamentary assistants in the European Parliament were instead used to compensate party officials for work unrelated to their legislative duties.

The court found that Le Pen and eight other Members of the European Parliament, along with 12 assistants, were involved in the scheme.

Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and denounced the ruling as politically motivated. Following the verdict, she announced plans to appeal, calling the case a “denial of democracy” and insisting that the funds were used properly. However, under French law, the ban on holding public office takes immediate effect, regardless of any ongoing appeal.

“They are attempting to prevent her accession to the Élysée Palace by any means necessary,” the National Rally said in a statement, while also calling for a “peaceful mobilization.”

U.S. President Donald Trump described the ruling as “a very big deal,” and that it “sounds like this country, that sounds very much like this country.”

Le Pen has been a central figure in French politics for over a decade, reaching the runoff in both the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections. With her sidelined, the National Rally faces a period of uncertainty as it prepares for future elections without its most prominent leader.