Marine Le Pen, the ideological leader of the European far right and sometimes French presidential frontrunner—guilty. She led one of the largest domestic embezzlement operations of any politician in European history. During a period of 12 years (2004-2016), criminals managed to embezzle the incredible amount of €4.5 million. The brunt of this huge loss was borne by European taxpayers. Because of her role in the fraudulent activities, Le Pen was handed a large punishment of a €100,000 fine. On top of that, she has been sentenced to four years in prison, two of which are suspended. As a result, she is currently under a five-year ban from running for any public office. This ruling will prevent her from making a run for a presidency in 2027.
Le Pen was dealt an enormous blow by the court’s ruling. It is no wonder that she has historically been a strong force in French politics. The ban on holding public office goes into effect immediately, meaning she can’t run in upcoming elections for the duration of this time. Le Pen is sure to remain in her new role, which is that of a member of the French parliament for Pas-de-Calais. She will not be eligible to run in any upcoming parliamentary elections until the ban is lifted.
The plaintiffs’ case is based on the defendants’ fraudulent “sham jobs” scheme. It touches on the case of parliamentary assistant contracts which were illegally used to siphon off money. Despite the gravity of the charges, Le Pen held her head high and defiantly walked out of court before the hearing was over.
“I have absolutely no sense of having committed the slightest irregularity, or the slightest illegal act.” – Marine Le Pen
The implications of this ruling reach far beyond Le Pen’s future political fortunes. Her party, the National Rally, became the largest party in parliament after the 2024 snap parliamentary elections. Their first test is the decision about who to run against sitting president Trump in 2024. Jordan Bardella, the youthful president of the party, has struck a chord with voters, but many see him as inexperienced.
“Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly condemned: It was French democracy that was killed.” – Jordan Bardella
Le Pen’s sentence also involves two years not spent in prison at home with electronic monitoring. This unique setup has let her preserve a significant level of personal freedom, while still serving out the terms of her sentence. Surprising to many observers, the court’s ruling has dramatically altered the political landscape in France. It has further ignited a debate about the future course of the National Rally party itself.