PARIS: A French court on Monday banned far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for office for five years. This ruling casts doubt on her 2027 presidential bid.
The court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison. Two years are suspended, and she will serve the other two with an electronic bracelet instead of jail time.
Le Pen and eight other National Rally (RN) figures were convicted of misusing European Parliament funds. They used expenses meant for assistants to pay party workers.
The court found the scheme was worth $3.1 million. It also convicted 12 assistants for concealing a crime.
All convicted RN officials, including Le Pen, are banned from running for office. The judge ruled the ban takes effect immediately, even if they appeal.
Presiding judge Benedicte de Perthuis cited the risk of reoffending and the public outrage if a convicted person ran for president.
Le Pen, 56, has denied any wrongdoing. She walked out of the courtroom after hearing the conviction and ban but before the judge announced her sentence.
On Sunday, Le Pen wrote in La Tribune Dimanche that the verdict gives judges the power to destroy her movement.
Le Pen had hoped to win the presidency in 2027, as Emmanuel Macron cannot run again. Her party gained the most seats in parliament in 2024.
Polls showed she would likely win the first round of voting and reach the final run-off.
Moscow reacted quickly to the ruling. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused European capitals of violating democratic norms.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Le Pen’s key allies, posted “Je suis Marine!” (“I am Marine”) on X in support.
Jordan Bardella, 29, leads the RN and remains untainted by the scandal. He called the ruling unjust and said it was an attack on French democracy.
Le Pen recently endorsed Bardella as a potential president. In a Sunday documentary on BFMTV, she said he is capable of leading France.
Some in the RN doubt Bardella has enough experience for a presidential campaign.
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Le Pen took charge of the National Front (now RN) in 2011. She worked to make it electable and distanced it from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He co-founded the party but was known for racist and anti-Semitic remarks.
The judge stated that the convicted assistants worked for the party, not for MEPs.
