Marine Le Pen appeal trial ends with presidential race at stake

"Le Pen, 57, has denied organising a fake jobs scheme to embezzle European parliament funds. She told the court any job contracts for European parliament assistants were transparent and we don't have the feeling of having committed the slightest crime. The leader of the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) had been one of the top contenders for next year's presidential election until last March, when her conviction in the fake jobs trial led to her being barred from running for public office."

"Judges in that trial ruled Le Pen had been at the heart of a carefully organised system of embezzlement of European parliament funds from 2004 to 2016. They banned her from running for office for five years, effective immediately, and handed out a four-year prison sentence, with two of those years suspended and two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet. They also ordered her to pay a 100,000 fine."

Marine Le Pen faces an appeal over a conviction for organising a fake jobs scheme to embezzle European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen denies wrongdoing, saying she never imagined breaking the rules and that any job contracts for parliamentary assistants were transparent. A lower court convicted her, imposed a five-year ban from public office, a four-year sentence (two years suspended, two to be served with an electronic bracelet) and a €100,000 fine. State prosecutors asked judges to maintain the election ban. The appeals court will deliver a verdict before the summer that will determine her eligibility for the 2027 presidential race; if barred, Jordan Bardella would replace her.

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