French far-right politician Marine Le Pen began a major appeal on Tuesday against a ruling that banned her from running for public office for five years.
Le Pen, 57, was found guilty last year of embezzling EU funds and, if the ban remains, she will not be able to run for president in 2027. She insists she did not commit “the slightest irregularity.”
Ahead of the appeal, Jordan Bardella, leader of her National Rally party, said banning her from running would be “deeply concerning for democracy”.
Bardella said he would not run for president next year and would instead seek a junior prime ministerial position.
The case in the Paris appeal court is scheduled to last until February 12, but a ruling is not expected before the summer, well ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Last year’s case focused on allegations that Le Pen, along with more than 20 other senior party figures, hired aides to run her RN party affairs instead of paying the European Parliament.
Judge Benedict de Pertus said Le Pen was at the ‘heart of a system’ that embezzled €2.9m (£2.5m) worth of European funds.
Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, two years of which were suspended, and the remaining two years were sentenced to electronic tags instead of imprisonment. She was fined €100,000 (£82,635) and banned from seeking public office “with immediate effect”.
If she loses her appeal, she could face a longer prison sentence.
More than 20 RN figures were also found guilty in last year’s trial, and the party was fined €2 million and ordered to pay half the fine.
Eleven of Le Pen’s colleagues are taking part in the Paris appeal, but 12, including her sister Jan Le Pen, who was sentenced to a year in prison, decided not to challenge the original ruling.
Addressing reporters on the eve of an appeal trial attended by Le Pen, Bardella said the RN leader would prove his innocence.
“It would be deeply troubling for democracy if the judicial system were to rob the French people of a presidential candidate who has already advanced to the second round twice and is considered a clear contender for this election,” he said.
Le Pen will be hoping the appeals court will overturn the lower court’s ruling and clear her name and path to run for France’s highest office for the fourth time.
A second possible outcome would be for the appellate panel to affirm the conviction but remove the “immediate effect” clause. This allows her to run even if she decides to appeal to the Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court, to try to overturn her conviction.
A third outcome would see the appeal judges narrow the five-year ban sufficiently to allow Le Pen to register by the March 2027 deadline.
And the fourth is to leave the lower court’s decision alone. This makes it almost impossible for her to run, even if she is expected to take the case to the Court of Cassation.
With a presidential election expected around April 2027, the content and timing of the ruling will have many implications.
