French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Credit: Reuters photo
Paris: A French court found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty on Monday of misappropriating EU funds, a verdict that could see her barred from the 2027 presidential race and upend French politics.
How did we get here? And what is at stake?
What was Le Pen accused of?
Le Pen, her National Rally party (RN) and some two dozen party figures were accused by prosecutors of diverting over 3 million euros ($3.27 million) of European Parliament funds to pay staff working for the party in France.
The defendants said the money was used legitimately and that the allegations incorporated too narrow a definition of what a parliamentary assistant does.
Judge Benedicte de Perthuis ruled on Monday that Le Pen, along with eight other people who were EU lawmakers at the time and 12 parliamentary assistants, were guilty of embezzling EU funds. The defendants were not accused of pocketing the money, but rather of using EU funds to the benefit of their party.
What does the verdict mean for Le Pen's Presidential hopes?
The guilty verdict delivers a hammer blow to Le Pen, a three-time presidential contender who has previously said the 2027 vote would be her final tilt at top office.
Polls have shown Le Pen to be a frontrunner in the race after she successfully moved her party towards the mainstream. The RN is the biggest single party in parliament thanks to support from younger and blue-collar voters.
Prosecutors asked judges to impose an immediate five-year ban on Le Pen regardless of any appeal, via a so-called "provisional execution" measure. Judges can adopt, modify or ignore the prosecutors' request.
Typically in most cases in France, sentences are not applied until any appeals process has run its course. However, if judges apply a provisional execution, the sentence begins immediately.
A provisional execution ban would not see Le Pen removed from her seat in parliament until her mandate ends, though it would prevent her from running in any fresh electoral contest. A five-year provisional execution ban would block her 2027 run.
Le Pen might get a last-minute reprieve from France's Constitutional Council. In a separate decision due on Friday, it will rule on the legality of barring locally elected officials from office with immediate effect even if there is an appeal. The framing of the ruling may impact Le Pen's case.
What was the reaction to the prosecutors' request?
Le Pen has accused the prosecutors of seeking her "political death", arguing the provisional execution request was "completely disproportionate". She and her allies allege a witch-hunt to keep the RN out of power, echoing claims made by US President Donald Trump over his legal woes.
It is not just Le Pen and her allies who have expressed concern over what they see as judicial overreach.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, as well as some left-wing rivals, have signalled discomfort with judges - rather than voters - deciding who can run for office, underlining a backlash against "lawfare".
That has led to the prosecutors and a judge receiving online death threats, Reuters reported, part of a growing international blowback over perceived judicial efforts to police politics.
Will the conviction kill Le Pen's presidential hopes?
Not necessarily. The judges are under no obligation to follow the prosecutors' request. They could decide to ignore the provisional execution or apply it for a shorter time period, say one or two years, that would still allow her to run in 2027.
If Le Pen gets an immediate five-year ban, her best hope of running will rest on the sentence being overturned on appeal before the 2027 election. The appeals process in France can take months or even years.
What will the RN do if Le Pen is barred?
RN leaders have said they do not expect Le Pen to be barred. But if she is, they say 29-year-old party president Jordan Bardella will be their 2027 candidate.