Reactions to French court ruling on Marine Le Pen
July 7 (Reuters) – A Paris appeals court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing EU funds and shortened her ban on running for elected office, potentially “allowing the National Rally (RN) leader to run for the French presidency in 2027.”
The court decided that Le Pen would be sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, and ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year.
Reactions to Tuesday’s decision include:
RODOLPHE BOSSELUT, LE PEN’S LAWYER
“We are evaluating the entire decision and will make another statement. We are partially satisfied.”
PATRICK MAISONNEUVE, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LAWYER
“What is important to us, and what we have been saying for years, is that they embezzled and stole public money, European taxpayers’ money and indeed French citizens’ money as well. We have been saying this for years and now it has been confirmed for the second time, first by the court and today by the Court of Appeal.”
JEAN-LUC MELENCHON, FRANCE NON-FUN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
“Our aim is to rid the country of the RN and its candidates through the ballot box and the will of the people themselves. No matter who is the candidate, nothing changes. As the Creole says: ‘same fur, same beast’ and vice versa.”
OLIVIER FAURE, LEADER OF THE SOCIALISTS
“After a decade-long investigation, the courts twice convicted Marine Le Pen and the leaders of her party of misusing public funds. These facts should lead any politician to withdraw his candidacy from presidential elections.”
MARINE TONDELIER, THE LEADER OF THE GREEN
“Contrary to what the RN has been shouting for years, there is therefore no judicial conspiracy. One could even say that he enjoys great leniency… In a normal world where the RN had even the slightest shred of morality, he would have withdrawn from candidacy on his own. Because one cannot be a worthy candidate after being thus convicted of embezzlement of public funds, even if one remains eligible.”
FRANCOIS RUFFIN, LEFT WING MP
“The fact that we even consider that Marine Le Pen could campaign while wearing an electronic tag is a sign that corruption is accepted in our country,” he told reporters.
CLEMENTINE AUTAIN, MEP OF THE LEFT
“The RN is fleecing taxpayers while blaming immigrants for all society’s problems and dreaming of tougher sentences for minor crimes… The RN leader has promised he cannot campaign under these conditions. Will he keep his word?”
($1 = 0.8751 euro)
(Reporting by Mateusz Rabiega, Mathias de Rozario, Leo Marchandon and Hugo Lhomedet; Editing by Matt Suffham, Alexandra Hudson)
