Marine Le Pen's presidential ambitions were dealt a devastating blow Monday after she was found guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds and immediately barred from standing in elections for the next five years, POLITICO reported.
The French far-Right leader was hoping to capitalize on her National Rally party's surging support in 2027, which many analysts saw as a potential breakthrough moment for her populist anti-migration agenda, according to POLITICO. Several polls had positioned her as a strong contender to succeed Emmanuel Macron in the Elysée Palace.
The three-judge panel took the extraordinary step of immediately enacting the ban on running for public office, which prosecutors had deemed necessary based on the gravity of Le Pen's crimes, POLITICO reported. This deviates from typical French legal proceedings, where punishments are usually delayed until the appeals process concludes.
Le Pen was also fined €100,000 and sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended. The judges did not rule that these penalties take immediate effect, so they could be delayed by a possible appeal. POLITICO noted that Le Pen left the courtroom in apparent frustration before her sentence was announced.
"Today, it's not just Marine Le Pen who is unfairly condemned: It's French democracy that is being executed," said Jordan Bardella, the National Rally president and Le Pen's heir-apparent.
Far-Right figures across Europe quickly condemned the verdict. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán weighed in even before the sentence was announced. The Kremlin deplored a "violation of democratic norms" while Italy's far-Right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the verdict as "a bad film" and a "declaration of war by Brussels."
Le Pen and her codefendants were accused of illicitly diverting European Parliament funds to pay for party employees who seldom or never dealt with affairs in Brussels or Strasbourg. The court estimated they had embezzled more than €4 million, with Le Pen personally responsible for €474,000 as a Member of the European Parliament.
Throughout the four-month trial, the defendants maintained their innocence, but prosecutors presented damning evidence – including text messages from one parliamentary assistant who, months after being hired, asked to be introduced to the MEP he was supposedly working for.
If Le Pen fails to successfully appeal before the next presidential election, the National Rally is likely to turn to Bardella, the party's 29-year-old president. In what might have been anticipation of her legal troubles, Le Pen told the BFMTV network just before sentencing that Bardella had "the capacity to be president of the Republic."
While populist nationalism in France appears stronger than ever, Bardella's limited experience during high-profile presidential campaigns has fueled skepticism – even within National Rally ranks – about whether he is prepared for such a challenge.
