A Paris appeals court has upheld the conviction of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzling European Union funds, but significantly reduced her ban from holding public office, leaving the door open for her to run in the 2027 presidential election. The court on Wednesday confirmed her guilt in a case involving the misuse of about 2.8 million euros in European Parliament funds, which prosecutors said were used to pay parliamentary assistants who actually worked for her party, the National Rally.
The court sentenced Le Pen to three years in prison, with two years suspended and one year to be served under electronic monitoring with an ankle bracelet. It also imposed a fine of 100,000 euros. Crucially, the court reduced the ban on holding elected office from five years to two years, retroactive to March 31, 2025, meaning the restriction will expire before the 2027 presidential vote. This decision reverses an earlier ruling from March that had imposed a five-year ban, effectively barring her from the next election.
Despite the legal reprieve, Le Pen’s participation in the 2027 campaign remains uncertain. The 57-year-old politician has previously stated that she considers wearing an electronic bracelet incompatible with running a presidential campaign. She is expected to address the court’s decision in a prime-time television appearance on French television later Wednesday. Le Pen has also the option to appeal the ruling to France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, within ten days, though such an appeal could take months and complicate her campaign preparations.
The case stems from a long-running investigation into the use of European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016, spanning three parliamentary terms. Judge Michèle Aghi, delivering the verdict, emphasized that the offenses were serious and had damaged European institutions, creating unfair conditions for other political parties. The court found that Le Pen and other party officials had systematically used EU money intended for parliamentary assistants to pay for party staff, a scheme that prosecutors said defrauded the European Parliament of millions of euros.
Le Pen, who leads the far-right National Rally party, has denied any wrongdoing and has characterized the prosecution as politically motivated. In March, after the initial verdict, she claimed the judges had made a mistake and had issued a “political decision” to block her from the presidency. Her party has long faced scrutiny over its ties to Russia, including a loan from a Russian bank and contacts between party representatives and Russian officials, as well as with the annexed Crimean peninsula.
Le Pen has run for president three times, in 2012, 2017, and 2022. In both 2017 and 2022, she advanced to the second round but lost to centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron. The 2027 election is widely seen as her best chance yet, given Macron’s term limits and the rising popularity of far-right parties across Europe. The appeals court’s decision, while not a full exoneration, removes the most immediate legal obstacle to her candidacy, though the electronic monitoring requirement could still pose a practical and symbolic challenge.
Legal experts note that the reduced ban allows Le Pen to campaign, but the electronic bracelet may become a central issue in the race. If she chooses to appeal, the case could drag on, potentially overshadowing her campaign. The National Rally party has already begun preparing for the election, and Le Pen’s allies have expressed relief that the court did not impose a longer ban. However, the conviction itself remains a stain on her record, and opponents are likely to use it to question her fitness for office.
The case has broader implications for French politics, as it tests the boundaries between judicial accountability and electoral democracy. Supporters of Le Pen argue that the courts are being used to silence a popular opposition figure, while critics insist that the rule of law must apply equally to all politicians. The European Parliament, which was the victim of the fraud, has welcomed the court’s decision as a step toward protecting EU funds from misuse.
As the 2027 election approaches, Le Pen’s legal situation will remain a key factor. The appeals court’s ruling gives her a path to the ballot, but the coming months will determine whether she can overcome the practical and political hurdles posed by her sentence. Her prime-time address is expected to clarify her intentions and set the tone for her campaign, should she decide to run.