The Paris Court of Appeal announced on Tuesday that it will deliver its ruling on Marine Le Pen’s appeal against her corruption conviction in the summer of 2026. The appeal follows a March 31st verdict that found her guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds. If the appeal is successful, it could clear the way for Le Pen to run in the 2027 presidential election. However, the immediate disqualification imposed by the Paris court has effectively put her political future on hold, a move her supporters view as a deliberate attempt to exclude her from the electoral race.
Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison (with two years to be served), a fine of €100,000, and a five-year disqualification from public office for misuse of European funds between 2004 and 2016. During this period, parliamentary assistants of the then National Front worked for the party in France instead of for the European Parliament. The ruling estimates the damage at €6.8 million, impacting 24 people linked to the RN, including names like Louis Aliot and Julien Odoul. Le Pen’s lawyers filed an appeal on Tuesday and the Court of Appeal confirmed it had received three appeals related to the case. While the appeal suspends the prison sentence and fine, the disqualification remains in effect—an aspect that has intensified criticism from the right.
“The court will examine the case in accordance with a timetable that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026,” the official statement said. This timetable, however, poses a challenge for Le Pen, a clear favorite in the polls for the 2027 presidential election. Even if the disqualification is overturned, the ruling will come too late for her to be able to organize a smooth campaign. During the trial last autumn, Le Pen’s defence said that the work of assistants for the party is part of an MEP’s mandate, arguing that the EP’s rules are ambiguous. “An assistant works for his MEP and can do so for the benefit of his party,” she said.
The ruling has reignited the debate on judicial impartiality in France. While some celebrate it as a triumph against corruption, others see it as an attack on the RN, the main opposition force to the current system. The case is not isolated: parties such as François Bayrou’s MoDem andJean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise have faced similar accusations.
The RN also faces a financial blow: the fines could aggravate the economic difficulties of a party already struggling to borrow money. Meanwhile, Le Pen has vowed to exhaust all legal options, including a potential appeal to the Constitutional Council. However, with a judicial calendar that leaves her out of the race until 2026 and a perceived hostile political establishment, her road to the 2027 election is becoming increasingly difficult for the leader who embodies France’s conservative resistance.
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