Marine Le Pen's appeal against embezzlement conviction to begin

"The French far-right party leader Marine Le Pen will face a fresh trial on appeal on Tuesday over the embezzlement of European parliament funds in a case that will determine whether or not she can run in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen, 57, who leads the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), was considered to be a contender for next year's election until she was barred from running for public office last March after being found guilty of an extensive and long-running fake jobs scam."

"If not, she would be replaced by her young protege and party president, Jordan Bardella, 30. Bardella appears to have benefited from Le Pen's legal drama. Polling by Verian for Le Monde and L'Hemicycle published over the weekend found that 49% of French people thought Bardella had the greatest chance of winning the election, compared with 18% for Marine Le Pen. An Odoxa poll last autumn found that Bardella would win the presidency no matter who his opponent in the second round was."

"Le Pen has said she is innocent and still wants to lead France. She has attacked what she called a tyranny of judges who wanted to stop her running in a presidential race she said she could otherwise win. She told La Tribune Dimanche last month: There was a time when you could take a bullet. Now you can take a judicial bullet. In reality, that means your death."

Marine Le Pen will face an appeal trial beginning Tuesday over alleged embezzlement of European Parliament funds that could determine her eligibility for the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen, 57, was barred from running last March after being convicted in a long-running fake jobs scheme and appealed alongside 10 of the 24 party members convicted. The new trial runs until 12 February, with verdict and sentence expected before the summer. If barred, party president Jordan Bardella, 30, would likely replace her. Polling shows Bardella leading potential outcomes, while Le Pen denies wrongdoing and portrays judges as tyrannical.

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