A French court on Monday found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of misusing European Union (EU) funds and banned her from running for public office for the next five years, Reuters reports.
The ban on running for public office takes effect immediately, the judge announced today.
Le Pen was also sentenced to four years in prison, two of which are suspended, and must also pay a fine of 100.000 euros, writes the British Guardian.
The decision could shake up the political scene in France. Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), is currently the frontrunner in polls ahead of the 2027 election.
The prosecution has requested that Le Pen be immediately banned from public office for five years if found guilty, regardless of the appeal process, using a measure called “provisional enforceability.” Judges can grant, modify or reject the prosecution's request.
An automatic five-year ban would be a heavy blow to Le Pen (56), a three-time presidential candidate who has announced that 2027 will be her last run for the highest office. However, she would retain her parliamentary seat for the rest of her term.
Le Pen, who did not speak to reporters upon arriving in court, accused prosecutors of trying to destroy her politically, claiming there was a conspiracy to prevent the RN from coming to power - reminiscent of accusations made by US President Donald Trump regarding his legal troubles.
Le Pen, the RN and about two dozen other party members were accused of diverting European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France. The defendants argued that the money was used legitimately and that the charges too narrowly defined what constitutes a parliamentary assistant's job.
However, Judge Benedikt de Pertuis ruled: "We have established that all these individuals actually worked for the party and that their (EU) MEPs did not give them any tasks."
"The investigations also showed that there were no administrative errors... but rather embezzlement carried out through a system designed to reduce the party's expenses."
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