Gambiaj.com – (PARIS, France) – A Paris court ruled on Monday that Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) parliamentary group, and eight other RN MEPs were guilty of embezzling European Union funds to pay France-based party staff. The ruling immediately bans Le Pen and her co-defendants from running for office, even if they appeal the decision.

The court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison, with two years suspended and the remaining two to be served under home detention. She was also fined €100,000.

Twelve parliamentary assistants were convicted of concealing a crime, with the court estimating the fraudulent scheme amounted to €2.9 million.

Le Pen, 59, left the courtroom before the sentencing was announced. During the trial last year, Le Pen, the RN, and 23 party figures were accused of diverting European Parliament funds to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016, when the party was known as the National Front (FN).

Le Pen has consistently denied the allegations and is expected to appeal. While her prison sentence and fine will not be enforced until appeals are exhausted, the five-year ban on holding public office takes immediate effect under a “provisional execution” measure requested by prosecutors. This disqualification will only be overturned if an appeal succeeds before the 2027 presidential election.

Presiding judge Bénédicte de Perthuis justified the immediate political ban, asserting that Le Pen and her co-defendants had engaged in systematic wrongdoing.

Le Pen and Allies Denounce the Verdict

Le Pen has not yet commented on the ruling, but RN president Jordan Bardella denounced it as a blow to democracy. “Today, it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly condemned; French democracy was killed,” he said.

The ruling is a major setback for Le Pen, a two-time presidential finalist and a leading contender for France’s next election. She has claimed that prosecutors are attempting to orchestrate her “political death,” drawing comparisons to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of legal persecution.

Le Pen and her co-defendants argue that the funds were used legitimately and that the court’s interpretation of a parliamentary assistant’s role is overly restrictive.

However, Judge de Perthuis maintained that the MEPs and assistants signed “fictitious contracts” and that a structured scheme was in place, with Le Pen “at the heart of this corrupt system since 2009.” The court found no evidence of personal enrichment.

Le Pen will retain her parliamentary seat until the end of her current mandate.

Since taking over the National Front from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, she rebranded it as the National Rally in 2018, steering it away from its extremist roots and into France’s political mainstream.

International Reactions

Le Pen’s conviction has sparked strong reactions from international allies. Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right League party, criticized the ruling. “People who fear the judgment of voters often seek reassurance in the judgment of courts,” he said. “In Paris, they have condemned Marine Le Pen and want to exclude her from political life.”

The Kremlin also weighed in, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemning the verdict. “More and more European capitals are violating democratic norms,” he told reporters.

Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders expressed solidarity with Le Pen, calling the verdict “incredibly tough.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated, “I support and believe in her 100 percent and trust she will win the appeal and become President of France.”

On X, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban similarly wrote, “I am a marine!” in solidarity of Marine Le Pen.

As Le Pen prepares to appeal, the ruling sets the stage for a politically charged legal battle that could shape the future of France’s far-right movement.