The French national rally leader Marine Le Pen is forbidden to enter presidential elections after he has been guilty of embezzlement.
Presidating judge Bénédicte de PerThuis stated that Le Pen, 56, is forbidden to walk with immediate effect, but the details of the duration still have to be revealed.
When hearing the decision – who could see the extreme right -wing leader exiled to run in the presidential race of 2027 – the pen stormed the Paris court without waiting to hear the duration of the prohibition.
After the politician and dozens of party officials were guilty this morning to have used money intended for parliamentary assistants of the European Union to pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, whereby the regulations of the 27-country block were violated.
In a persistent judgment, magistrates accused Le Pen of 'undermining democracy'.
They wrote: 'Marine Le Pen has been the core of this illegal system since 2009. The events have seriously and permanently undermined the rules of democracy. This is an enrichment of the party, a circumvention of the rules for financing the political party and therefore a circumvention of democracy. '
Le Pen and other co -suspects denied misconduct during the nine -week process that took place at the end of 2024, and she claims that it was tried as a 'political target'. The defendants also claimed that the money had been used legitimate.
The presidential hope has been found guilty of deepening around £ 397,000, in particular for the contracts of her bodyguard, Thierry Légier, and her former parliamentary attaché and ex-in-sentences, Catherine Griset.
Griset has been handled for a conditional prison sentence of a year and an election ban of two years, but the details of the prohibition of Le Pen have yet to be confirmed.
President of the parliamentary group of the French extreme right -wing Rassemblement National (RN) Party, Marine Le Pen (L) arrives her lawyer Rodolphe Bosselut in the Paris Court of Justice for her trial of the verdict of eclipse of European public funds, in Paris, on March 31, on March 31, on March 31
Marine Le Pen is forbidden to participate in presidential elections after he has been guilty of embezzlement
Le Pen is found guilty of deepening about £ 397,000, in particular for the contracts of her bodyguard, Thierry Légier, and her former parliamentary attaché and ex-in-sentences, Catherine Griset
According to reports, Le Pen did not show an immediate response when the main judge read the verdict, but her head shook in the courtroom of Paris when she heard that Griset was found guilty.
Le Pen and her fellow suspects are up to 10 years in prison. They can appeal, which would lead to a different process.
Officers of Justice want Le Pen to face an immediate five-year ban on public office-that would prevent her from replacing Emmanuel Macron in 2027, as well as a five-year imprisonment.
PerThuis said that the non -subsidiaability to run for a public office should immediately start and not be suspended pending the appeal that Le Pen is expected to submit if they are convicted. She has described such a scenario as 'political death'.
However, judges could also decide not to impose automatic non -subsidiaability with its conviction, so that she would remain free during a professional process in 2027.
The sentences of Le Pen and eight other MEPs will be reported individually later today, the French media explained.
The MEPs and 12 assistants found guilty signed 'fictional contracts' and there was indeed a 'system' within the party, said PerThuis.
“It has been established that all these people in fact worked for the party, that their MEP had not entrusted them with tasks,” and that they “moved from one swap to another,” she continued.
'It was not a matter of pooling the work of the assistants, but rather to pool the envelopes of the MPs.
'Let's be clear: nobody is on trial for playing politics, that's not the point. The issue was whether or not the contracts were respected, “Perthhuis added.
Reading the verdict, which started shortly after 10:00 am, is expected to take up to two hours.
After the prohibition against Le Pen Running for President, political opponent Éric Coquerel, MP told Radical Left Party France France to the French news channel LCI: 'I do not agree that things that must be determined by the polls are determined by the courts.
“It will only paint the National Rally as a victim.”
Le Pen seemed to anticipate a guilty verdict and told the panel of three judges earlier: “I have the feeling that we were unable to convince you.”
During the nine-week process that took place at the end of 2024, she argued that non-subsidiamability 'would have to deprive me of designing a presidential candidate' and her supporters.
'There are 11 million people who voted for the movement that I represent. So tomorrow, possibly millions and millions of French people would consider themselves from their candidate in the elections, “she told the panel of three judges.
After her trial last year, the current French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin placed on X that it would be 'deeply shocking' if Le Pen were excluded from elections.
She also denied that she had committed 'the least irregularity'.
The sentences of Le Pen and eight other MEPs will be reported individually later today, the French media explained
Le Pen seemed to anticipate a guilty verdict and told the panel of three judges earlier: “I feel that we were unable to convince you” “
Public Prosecutors wanted Le Pen to get an immediate five -year ban on public office – which would prevent it from replacing Emmanuel Macron in 2027 – if found guilty, as well as a five -year prison sentence
Jordan Bardella speaks during a conference on anti -Semitism in Jerusalem on March 27, 2025
Her young lieutenant and Protege Jordan Bardella, 29, who is the RN party chef, did not belong to the accused in the trial and is also seen as a potential presidential competitioner as sea service.
In a documentary broadcast by BFMTV Laat on Sunday, Le Pen gave her blessing to Bardella who became president for the first time.
“Of course he has the capacity to become president of the Republic,” she said.
In an important decision on Friday, the Constitutional Council ruled that a period of non -subsidiaability is in accordance with the French Constitution with immediate effect.
But it also emphasized that it is up to the judges to assess the consequences of imposing such a ban and to ensure that the ruling is 'proportional' and takes into account 'the preservation of the freedom of voters'.
The Constitutional Council has shown its ruling in a separate case that is not a direct connection with Le Pen's.
Nevertheless, the conclusions were investigated because they offer legal guidelines that judges probably take into account.
The Constitutional Council also underlined that the court could decide not to impose any period of non -subsidiaability. In that case the prohibition would be suspended pending appeal.
For more than ten years, Le Pen has worked to make her party more mainstream and to deepen his extremist lead to broaden his attraction for voters.
After third place in the presidential polls of 2012, Marine Le Pen made the drain in 2017 and 2022, but was defeated by Emmanuel Macron on both occasions.
Yet 2027 could be another chance, where Macron is no longer allowed.
Jean-Marie Le Pen gestures during a political meeting in the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy (POPB), in Paris, on 2 June 1988
Macron (shown March 27) will no longer be able to stand in 2027, a chance for RN
The life of Le Pen is characterized by the legacy of her openly racist father, a veteran of the long war in Algeria who eventually led to the independence of the former French colony.
In 2011, Le Pen took over the leadership of the National Front (FN) from her father Jean-Marie, who was co-founder of the most important post-war extreme right-wing movement of France.
Distanty the inheritance of her father, who has made openly anti-Semitic and racist statements, renamed the party The National Rally (RN) and started a policy that she called “Dediabolization” (“de-demonization”).
The work wore fruit in the Snap Legisend Polls last summer, with the RN that emerged as the largest single party in the national meeting, although it would have focused without the outright majority.
That gave Le Pen an unprecedented power about French politics, which she used by supporting a vote without trust that Prime Minister Michel Barnier had overthrown the government later in the year.
Critics accuse the party of still inherently racist, take too long to distance themselves from Russia and resort to corrupt tactics to alleviate the tense finances, allegations of the denies.
But playing on the daily concerns of people about immigration and the costs of living, Le Pen is now seen as her best chance of winning the French presidency in 2027 after three failed attempts.
