Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Rally (previously Front National), was found guilty of embezzling European parliamentary funds through a fake jobs scam, receiving a five-year ban from office. The ruling detailed how the National Rally siphoned taxpayer money meant for assistants in Brussels and Strasbourg, directing it instead to staff in France for party work. The embezzlement caused an estimated loss of 4.8 million euros. Le Pen plans to appeal the ruling, which includes a four-year prison sentence, with two years of house arrest, and a hefty fine, jeopardizing her 2027 presidential bid.
The judge emphasized that there was no doubt about the existence of a system that embezzled funds under the guise of fictitious contracts to pay party workers.
Le Pen claimed the conviction was a 'nuclear bomb' for her career, reflecting on its potential to disrupt her presidential aspirations and party's future.
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