Marine Le Pen has been sentenced to four years in prison, with two years to be served under electronic monitoring, and banned from public office for five years following a guilty verdict in an embezzlement case. The ruling, delivered by a Paris court on Monday, has thrown her political future into doubt just three years before the 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally party, left the courtroom in dramatic fashion as the judge read out her sentence. Without waiting for the full ruling, she picked up her bag and briskly exited the chamber, ignoring reporters as she left the courthouse. Earlier, she had appeared composed when the guilty verdict was announced but grew visibly agitated as the court detailed how her party had misused European Parliament funds.
Other sentences handed down
Several of Le Pen’s allies were also convicted:
- Thierry Légier, her bodyguard, received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year ban from office.
- Yann Le Pen was given a 12-month suspended sentence and declared ineligible for office.
- Nicolas Bay was sentenced to 12 months in prison (six suspended), an €8,000 fine, and three years of ineligibility.
- Wallerand de Saint-Juste received a three-year sentence (two suspended), a €50,000 fine, and three years of ineligibility.
- Bruno Gollnish was sentenced to one year under electronic monitoring, a €50,000 fine, and five years of ineligibility.
‘A political death’
Le Pen has condemned the verdict as an attempt to eliminate her from politics, warning that the ruling could disenfranchise millions of her supporters. “This is political death,” she said previously, referring to a possible ineligibility ruling.
The court found that Le Pen and her party illegally redirected EU funds meant for parliamentary aides to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016. While the judge acknowledged that Le Pen and her allies did not personally enrich themselves, the ruling described the scheme as “a democratic bypass” that deceived both voters and the European Parliament.
Despite the conviction, Le Pen remains a key figure in French politics. Her party’s growing support has made her a serious contender in past elections, finishing as runner-up to President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022. With her ineligibility now in force, attention turns to Jordan Bardella, her 29-year-old protégé, who could emerge as National Rally’s presidential candidate in 2027.
Le Pen has vowed to appeal the ruling, but even if she does, her ban from running for office remains in effect unless overturned.
Allies, world leaders rally behind Le Pen
Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s close ally and president of the National Rally, condemned the ruling as an attack on democracy. “Today, it is not just Marine Le Pen who is unjustly condemned – it is French democracy that has been executed,” he wrote on X.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also voiced support for Le Pen, posting “Je suis Marine!” in French. His statement followed the court’s decision to sentence Le Pen to four years in prison, two of which will be served under electronic monitoring, and ban her from running for office for five years.
The Kremlin also criticised the ruling, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing European governments of undermining democratic norms. “More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic principles,” he told reporters when asked about Le Pen’s conviction.
