07.07.2026 16:52
The Paris Court of Appeals found former National Rally leader Marine Le Pen guilty in the European Parliament assistant case, sentencing her to 3 years in prison, a €100,000 fine, and a 45-month ban from political office. While the suspension of most of the political ban keeps Le Pen’s path to the 2027 presidential election legally open, the electronic bracelet ruling created uncertainty regarding the election campaign.
The Paris Court of Appeal in France announced its verdict in the European Parliament assistants case against Marine Le Pen, former leader of the National Rally party (Rassemblement national).
3 YEARS IN PRISON AND 45 MONTHS POLITICAL BAN
Le Pen, the party's parliamentary group leader and one of the strongest figures for the 2027 presidential election, was found guilty of misusing public funds and involvement in this crime. The court sentenced Le Pen to 3 years in prison, suspending 2 years of the sentence. The remaining 1-year prison term is to be served under electronic monitoring. Le Pen was also fined 100,000 euros and given a 45-month political ban. 30 months of the political ban were suspended, while the non-suspended 15-month portion is considered as having been applied.
THE DECISION LEGALLY LEFT THE CANDIDACY PATH OPEN, BUT...
Following the verdict, the question of whether Le Pen could participate in the 2027 presidential election became a topic of debate again. The 5-year political ban imposed by the local court had effectively made Le Pen's candidacy impossible. The appeals court's lighter political ban legally left Le Pen's path to candidacy open. Despite this, the electronic monitoring decision created new uncertainty regarding Le Pen's political future. Le Pen previously stated that she could not freely conduct her presidential campaign while under electronic monitoring, saying, "When you are a presidential candidate, you need to be completely free in your movements."
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ASSISTANTS CASE
The case is based on the allegation that during the period of the National Front (Front National), the former name of the National Rally party, some assistants whose salaries were paid from the European Parliament budget were actually employed for party work rather than parliamentary activities. The case file alleged that European Parliament funds were used to finance party personnel between 2004 and 2016.
Throughout the trial, Le Pen and other defendants denied the charges, arguing that the work in question should be considered within the scope of the political activities of European parliament members.