A French appeals court has upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction over misuse of EU funds but reduced her election ban, reopening the path to the 2027 presidential race.
Veteran French politician Marine Le Pen has announced that she will run for president in 2027 after an appeals court shortened the ban on holding elected office imposed last year while upholding her conviction over the misuse of European Parliament funds.
A three-time presidential candidate who reached the runoff in 2017 and 2022, Le Pen had been widely viewed as the frontrunner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron before last year’s conviction sidelined her from the race. She has denied any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld Le Pen’s conviction but reduced her five-year ban on holding elected office to 45 months, with 30 months suspended, making her eligible to stand in 2027. The court also sentenced her to three years in prison, including two years suspended, ordered the remaining year to be served under home detention with electronic monitoring, and imposed a €100,000 ($114,000) fine.
The judges said that Le Pen had already been serving the ban since March 31, 2025, and credited that time when reducing the restriction.
The case centered on European Parliament funds intended for parliamentary assistants that the court found had instead been used to pay National Rally staff working in France. The ruling said that the scheme caused €2.8 million in losses to the European Parliament. The National Rally was also convicted and fined €2 million, with half the amount suspended.
French media reported that Le Pen left the courthouse without speaking to reporters and was due to give a television interview later on Tuesday.
Patrick Maisonneuve, the European Parliament’s lawyer in the case, said that the ruling demonstrated that “justice is independent.”
Le Pen’s lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, called the decision “a good start” and said no decision had yet been made on whether to appeal to the Court of Cassation.
Le Pen took over the National Front from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011 and transformed the party – renamed the National Rally in 2018 – into France’s largest opposition force. Her protege, Jordan Bardella, had been preparing to replace her as the party’s presidential candidate if she remained barred from running. Opinion polls have consistently placed both among the leading contenders for the 2027 election.
Let’s see what other bullshit the PTB try to unleash in order to prevent Le Pen from entering office…
A Mossad hit squad??? INTERPOL faux warrants???
So they have seen the writing on the wall and what it could mean for them. French justice, is no better than New Zealand’s. In any case Marine Len Pen, I hope you win. France needs reformers, as does all of the West.
Russian President Putin once famously said, it doesn’t matter who votes, its who counts the votes.
In recent years we see nations who are completely against their leadership still retain power. These leaders congratulate themselves on a job we done. A clear sign, the west is not immune to this fraud. France is a prime example of election corruption. Fraudulent vote counting isn’t the only tool. False claims of corruption and minor infringements or legal steps that might disbar someone like Le Pen is used by these shadow individuals.
When nations start buring public buildings like France did, the rest of the world’s population doesn’t see these citizens as criminals. They see them as brave national heros. Same goes for Ireland Northern Ireland.
Turning to New Zealand polical leadership. It was Jacinda Arderns and Chris Hipkins decision to use unmarked police with a dawn raid on sleeping protesters at parliament. Men, women and children were assaulted with clubs, fire and sirens. That sort of behaviour towards the legal right to peaceful protest hasn’t been forgotten. Hard to believe Hipkins still is hanging around politics after an assault on free speech. A toxic little man with blood on his hands. Like Macron, its hard to believe those types of people still put themselves forward as fit and proper to make decisions on our behalf.
More and more, New Zealanders are placing their faith in minor parties simply because major political parties withhold their agendas until they reach power. I maintain such practice should be replaced with “ if you didn’t campaign on it, you must hold a binding referendum.” Thats what democracy looks like.