The seasoned right-wing French legislator faced charges related to the misuse of EU parliamentary funds.
Marine Le Pen, a prominent figure in the right-wing National Rally (RN) party, has been convicted of embezzlement. The French politician now potentially faces a ban from holding public office for several years, which she has characterized as “political death.”
The Paris court did not immediately announce any penalties, with the verdict reading expected to continue for several hours.
The RN party and over twenty of its leading members, including Le Pen, were accused of diverting over €3 million ($3.3 million) between 2004 and 2016. The accusations state that funds allocated for payments to European Parliament assistants were instead used for national staff. Le Pen was convicted along with eight other MEPs.
Prosecutors had requested that the 56-year-old MP be banned from holding public office for five years, effective immediately, regardless of any appeals. The RN party has described the charges as politically motivated, while Le Pen has accused her opponents of attempting to cause her “political death.”
Le Pen has run for the French presidency in three consecutive elections, losing to current leader Emmanuel Macron in 2022 by a margin of less than 10 percentage points.
In an unrelated case, the French Constitutional Council ruled on Friday that imposing an immediate political ban, referred to as a “provisional execution,” was constitutional. The Council is the highest authority on constitutional matters in the country.
Labeled as “far-right” by her critics, Le Pen has opposed EU policies on numerous issues, including the EU’s handling of illegal immigration and its support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
Le Pen leads the RN faction in the National Assembly, but stepped down as party leader in 2022, and was succeeded by Jordan Bardella.