The sentence for embezzlement of Marine Le Pen: what to know and what will be the next

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far right of France and a prominent candidate to become the next president of the country, was excluding From the race for public offices for five years, after she and her party have been sentenced for embezzlement of millions of euros of European Union funds.

Even Mrs. Pen, an anti-immigrant populist politician, was sentenced to four years of prison-with two suspended years and two who could be served under domicilo-and and fined of 100,000 euros, or about $ 108,000. He has constantly denied any illicit and will appeal to the verdict, which would have put on his prison sentence.

But the sentence against Mrs. Le Pen and her party, the national demonstration, threatens to ruin her plans to apply for the presidency in 2027. He spent years to try to soften the image of his party and move it to the mainstream denying his anti -Semitic roots after having succeeded his father as the leader of the far right of France.

Who is marine le pen?

Mrs. Le Pen, 56, is an anti-immigrant politician, nationalist who became the face of France, far after detecting the party in 2011 by his father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Mrs. Le Pen sought detoxify the political movement He built by softening some of his policies, changing the name of the party from the national front to the national event, publicly rejecting his father’s anti -Semitism – he was sentenced by a French court of the Holocaust for having said that the Nazi gas chambers were a “detail” of history – and keeping the disaffected voters to court.

But even if the tone has changed, Mrs. Le Pen’s platform is still firmly hard. Its policies include the use of serious measures to curb immigration and the push for citizens of French origin to have more rights to social benefits and other state support areas, even if some argue that this could violate the French Constitution.

Mrs. Le Pen ran three times for the highest office in the country, and although she has not yet won, she managed to constantly increase her part of the vote and to expand the scope of her party. In the last presidential elections of 2022, 41.5 percent of the votes won compared to 33.9 percent of the previous elections five years earlier.

Last year, the national event became the largest single party of the National Assembly, the Lower Chamber of the country’s Parliament, for the first time.

What were the accusations?

A French criminal court established that Mrs. Le Pen played a “central role” in an illegal scheme by the party, when it was still called the national front, a Use the equivalent of almost $ 5 million Of the European Parliament’s funds for the expenses of the party between 2004 and 2016. At the time the party was short of cash and Mrs. Le Pen was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2017.

The Court found that the party used funds from the European Parliament to pay assistants to members of the National Front for work not related to the EU business. The judges rejected the argument of the lady Le Pen according to which the assistants were appropriate to carry out a job relating to the parties.

Bénédicte de Perthuis, the presiente judge, defined the prohibition necessary due to the severity of the accusations and the fact that the defendant did not seem willing to recognize the facts. The Court must “ensure that elected officials, like any citizen, do not benefit from any favorable treatment,” he said.

Mrs. Le Pen called the case a hunt for political witches.

What’s the next for Mrs. Le Pen and your party?

Mrs. Le Pen left the court before the complete verdict was read and did not turn to journalists while starting. On Monday it is expected to speak on French television.

The judgment of the court does not the bare of her place in the national assembly, but Mrs. Le Pen will be able to apply for the presidency in 2027 only if it sets a more favorable sentence on appeal before the expiry to enter the race. But even a successful appeal may take some time.

The Court also established that the national event had to pay a fine of 2 million euros, half of which would be suspended. Twenty -three other people have been sentenced for accusations relating to the regime to appropriate the European Parliament funds.

But the sentence does not exclude Jordan Bardella, the 29 -year -old Protégé of Mrs. Le Pen, to apply for the presidency in his absence. It is seen as the main alternative candidate.

Where does France leave this?

The sentence could rekindle the political chaos that France launched France after President Emmanuel Macron called Snap Elections. The French government is not popular and has fought to approve a budget this year. It could be overturned by the legislators in the national assembly.

Mrs. Le Pen and the national demonstration could also paint the verdict as a threat against a politician and a popular party and French democracy itself.