The leader of the National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, has declared her intention to stand in the presidential election in France in 2027. This came after the Paris Court of Appeal found her guilty of the misuse of European Parliament funds, amended some of the previously imposed sanctions, and upheld the criminal penalty.
WHAT THE COURT OF APPEAL DECIDED
According to Le Monde, the Paris Court of Appeal found Marine Le Pen guilty in a case involving the use of European Parliament funds to pay for the work of National Rally party staff.
The court imposed a fine of €100,000, confirmed a sentence of 3 years' imprisonment, of which 1 year is to be served under electronic monitoring, with the remainder suspended.
The court also reduced the ban on holding public office to 15 months. The lower court had previously imposed a five-year ban.
WHY LE PEN CAN STAND IN THE ELECTION
Following the appeal court's decision, Marine Le Pen stated that she is a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
She also announced her intention to file an appeal to the French Court of Cassation. According to the publication, filing such an appeal suspends the execution of the sentence pending review, allowing her to campaign without serving the part of the punishment involving electronic monitoring.
Incidentally, the current president, Emmanuel Macron, cannot stand for a third consecutive term under French law.
WHAT THE CASE INVOLVED
According to the prosecution, employees of the National Rally party, who were officially registered as assistants to European Parliament members, were in fact carrying out work for the party apparatus, and their salaries were paid from European funds. The investigators estimated the total damages at approximately €3 million.
Marine Le Pen denied having organised such a scheme and stated that she was not involved in such actions, although she had previously described what happened as a 'mistake'. In this case, 25 party representatives were convicted, some of whom have also lodged appeals.
