Overview
- Hearings in Paris concluded with final defense pleas seeking acquittal as prosecutors accuse Le Pen of orchestrating a scheme using fictitious European Parliament assistants to divert about €1.4 million to party work.
- Prosecutors requested four years’ imprisonment, with three years suspended, and a five-year loss of passive suffrage.
- In March 2025, a first-instance court gave Le Pen four years in prison with two suspended and imposed an immediate five-year candidacy ban that remained in force during the appeal.
- Le Pen maintains she is not personally responsible, acknowledging unintended errors, while ten other RN figures face requested prison terms ranging from six months to three years.
- Le Pen has indicated that if a multi-year ban is confirmed, RN would turn to party leader Jordan Bardella, though a further appeal to the Cour de cassation would still be possible.