French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been convicted of embezzlement and barred from running for public office for five years, effectively disqualifying her from the 2027 presidential race. The ruling, delivered by a Paris court on Monday, has sparked a political crisis, with Le Pen vowing to appeal and her allies denouncing the decision as an attack on democracy.
The verdict found that Le Pen, 56, and members of her National Rally (RN) party misused €4.5 million in European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 by paying party staff with money designated for parliamentary aides. While she did not personally profit from the scheme, the court ruled that she played a “central role” in orchestrating it. Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison—two suspended and two to be served under house arrest with an electronic tag—and fined €100,000.
Jordan Bardella, the RN president and a possible replacement candidate, condemned the ruling, saying, “French democracy has been killed.” Far-right leaders across Europe, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, expressed support for Le Pen. “Je suis Marine!” Orbán declared.
The court’s decision is already reshaping the French political landscape. Le Pen had been leading in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election, with a projected 34–37% of the vote, significantly ahead of her rivals. With President Emmanuel Macron term-limited, her exclusion leaves a void in the race and raises questions about RN’s future strategy.
Le Pen reacted furiously, calling the ruling a “political decision” and a “denial of democracy”. She insisted she was innocent and pledged to fight the conviction through the appeals process, though legal experts note that overturning such a ruling is difficult and time-consuming.
The case stems from a long-running investigation into whether RN lawmakers misused European Parliament funds. The court found that assistants who were officially working for RN’s Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) were actually performing domestic party duties unrelated to EU affairs. The practice, referred to as the “fake jobs” scandal, lasted more than a decade and resulted in the misallocation of taxpayer money.
Despite the verdict, Le Pen will retain her seat as a member of the French parliament, but she will be ineligible to stand for re-election if Macron dissolves the National Assembly and calls snap elections. Such a scenario is plausible given the fragile state of France’s divided legislature, where RN is the single largest party.
The ruling has drawn sharp reactions from across the political spectrum. While her allies have framed the decision as an attack on democracy, centrist and left-wing figures insist that the ruling upholds the rule of law. “Is our society really so sick that we take offence at the application of justice?” asked centrist lawmaker Sacha Houlié. Former Socialist President François Hollande supported the court’s decision, calling the allegations “serious”.
US President Donald Trump compared Le Pen’s case to his own legal troubles, saying it “sounds very much like this country”. Tech billionaire Elon Musk also weighed in, predicting the ruling would “backfire, like the legal attacks against Trump”.
In response to the ruling, RN has launched a petition in support of Le Pen and plans nationwide demonstrations, including a mass leaflet campaign. Bardella urged supporters to mobilise peacefully, insisting that “the will of the people is stronger”.
The verdict marks a turning point for Le Pen and RN, a party that she has sought to rebrand from its origins under her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was known for his racist and antisemitic views. While she distanced the party from its extremist past, RN continues to campaign on an anti-immigration, nationalist platform.
Legal experts note that Le Pen’s appeal process could take years, leaving uncertainty over whether she could return to the political stage before 2027. However, as it stands, the ruling has dramatically altered the dynamics of the upcoming presidential race, forcing RN to rethink its leadership strategy.
