Marine Le Pen’s political fate rests on appeal trial opening in France

Far-right French politician Marine Le Pen begins a high-stakes appeal on Tuesday against a decision banning her from running for public office for five years.

Le Pen, 57, was found guilty of embezzling EU funds last year and will not be able to participate in the 2027 presidential elections if the ban is approved. He insists he did not commit “the slightest impropriety”.

Ahead of the appeal, Jordan Bardella, chairman of the National Rally party, said barring him from the election would be “deeply troubling for democracy”.

Bardella has said he will not run for president next year, but will instead seek a lower-level post as prime minister.

The case at the Paris Court of Appeal will continue until February 12, but a decision is not expected before the summer, well ahead of next year’s presidential elections.

Last year’s trial focused on accusations that Le Pen, along with 20 other senior party figures, hired assistants who worked on her own RN party’s affairs rather than the European Parliament, which paid them.

Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis said Le Pen was “at the heart of the system” where €2.9 million (£2.5 million) worth of European funds were embezzled.

Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison; Two years will be suspended, and the remaining two years will be served with an electronic tag instead of detention. He was fined €100,000 (£82,635) and banned from holding public office “with immediate effect”.

He could face an even longer prison sentence if he loses his appeal.

More than 20 RN figures were also found guilty at last year’s hearing and the party was ordered to pay a fine of 2 million euros, with half of that amount suspended.

Eleven of Le Pen’s colleagues are involved in the appeal in Paris, but 12 have decided not to appeal the initial verdicts, including her sister Yann Le Pen, who was given a one-year suspended prison sentence.

Addressing journalists in Le Pen’s presence on the eve of the appeal, Bardella said he would prove the RN leader’s innocence.

“It would be deeply worrying for democracy if the justice system deprived the French people of a presidential candidate who has twice qualified for the second round and is now considered the undisputed favorite in the elections,” he said.

Le Pen hopes the appeals court will overturn the lower court’s ruling and clear her name as she seeks a fourth term for France’s highest office.

The second possible outcome would be for the appeals panel to uphold the guilty verdict but remove the “immediate effect” clause. This would allow him to run even if he decides to appeal to the Supreme Court, the nation’s highest court, to overturn the guilty verdict.

A third outcome could see appeal judges reduce the five-year ban enough for Le Pen to be able to register by March 2027.

Fourth, the decisions of the lower court will be left untouched. That would make it nearly impossible to run, although he is expected to take the case to the Supreme Court.

With the presidential election expected around April 2027, much will depend on the content and timing of the decisions.