Marine Le Pen has failed to overturn her conviction for misusing EU funds. On Tuesday afternoon a court in Paris upheld the verdict against her, announced in March 2025, but shortened her disqualification ban from five years to 45 months, 30 of which are suspended. She was also fined €100,000.
Many in France believe that there is a two-tier justice system depending on whether you lean to the left or the right
As she has already served 15 months, Le Pen will in theory be able to stand as the National Rally’s candidate in next April’s presidential election.
But there is a caveat. The court ruled that Le Pen must serve a three-year jail term for what it said was an organised campaign to misappropriate EU funds. Two of the three years are suspended and Le Pen must serve the third wearing an electronic ankle tag.
In an interview last week Le Pen was asked if she would run for the presidency wearing a tag. ‘If the aim is to allow me to stand as a candidate, but in reality to prevent me from campaigning entirely freely, you will understand that this will not be possible,’ she replied.
Le Pen left the court without commenting to reporters. It is believed she will return to the party’s headquarters in Paris and discuss her next steps with Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old president of the National Rally and the man who will replace her as candidate in the event she decides not to run.
Patrick Maisonneuve, the European Parliament’s lawyer, expressed his satisfaction with the verdict, telling reporters: ‘They stole money from European taxpayers and French citizens… the court has confirmed the misappropriation of public funds suffered by the European Parliament.’
Le Pen and her party aren’t the only ones in France accused of such a crime. The former prime minister, Francois Bayrou, was found not guilty of misusing public funds in 2024. But eight of his centrist party were convicted and sentenced to suspended prison terms of ten to 18 months and were banned from serving in public office.
In May this year two Paris judges decided not to place the far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon and his La France Insoumise colleagues under formal investigation. Le Canard enchaîné – France’s Private Eye – described the decision as a ‘minor miracle’ and wryly wondered ‘Is there a God for old scoundrels?’
Probably not, but it does in the eyes of many in France reinforce the view that there is a two-tier justice system depending on whether you lean to the left or the right.
Last week, Jordan Bardella announced that a judicial inquiry had been opened against him. He said it dated back 12 years when he was a parliamentary assistant at the European Parliament and involves the use of European funds. ‘As always, judicial proceedings herald the electoral calendar,’ said Bardella in a social media post. ‘We have nothing to reproach ourselves for, and we will demonstrate it.’
None of the National Rally’s legal travails have had a negative effect on their popularity. A poll last week had Le Pen and Bardella way out in front of their rivals, with the latter boasting a 40 per cent approval rating.
In part this can be explained by the fact there has been no personal embezzlement by Le Pen or her co-accused National Rally members. Mainly, however, it is because millions of voters are so disillusioned with the mainstream political class they will vote for Le Pen and her party whatever. As Donald Trump crowed in 2016, ‘I could shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.’
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