The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misappropriating EU funds, yet reduced her penalty, thereby preserving her eligibility to contest the upcoming April 2027 French presidential election.
The five‑year prohibition from holding public office, retroactively applied to March 2025, was similarly scaled back, with the court determining that the sanctions had effectively been served.
Nevertheless, the National Rally leader faces a one‑year term involving an electronic ankle monitor under house arrest, a sanction that, while restrictive, does not automatically preclude her candidacy.
Le Pen has repeatedly asserted that she would refuse to run for president if compelled to wear an electronic tag, citing the necessity of unrestricted mobility during a campaign.
She is slated to disclose her final decision in a national television broadcast tonight at 20:00 (19:00 BST) and to entrust the candidacy to her protégé, 30‑year‑old Jordan Bardella.
Current opinion polls place Marine Le Pen at the forefront of the race, with less than ten months remaining before the vote. She has previously contested the presidency three times and been defeated twice by Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Macron has chosen not to comment on the verdict.
In a recent television interview, the National Rally leader outlined her conditions for a potential presidential bid, addressing both the judiciary and the electorate.
She indicated to the news channel LCI that she would not campaign while under an electronic tag, emphasizing that a presidential candidate must enjoy complete freedom of movement and cannot depend on judicial permissions to organize rallies or canvass voters.
The court’s ruling, issued months after her appeal was heard in January and February, made clear that it would not obstruct her candidacy.
The judges noted that they had weighed the penalties of ineligibility against the principles of candidacy freedom and voter choice.
They affirmed that participation in the electoral process is integral to democracy, even while assessing the proportionality of the sanction.
Ultimately, the court found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling funds allocated to European Parliament members between 2004 and 2016, which were used to remunerate party personnel.
Although the fictitious employment scheme was initiated by her father, Jean‑Marie Le Pen, the court clarified that she continued it with the assistance of party colleagues, including several European Parliament deputies.
