Overview
- The Paris Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing European Parliament funds, reduced her ban from office to 45 months with 30 months suspended, sentenced her to three years in prison with two years suspended, and fined her €100,000.
- Because the original five‑year ban began in March 2025 and she has already served roughly 15 months, the appeals court’s reduction in principle restores her technical eligibility for the April 2027 presidential ballot.
- The court ordered one year of electronic monitoring to be served at home, a restriction Le Pen has said would prevent effective nationwide campaigning and that will have specific curfew and travel limits to be set by a sentencing judge.
- Le Pen has not yet confirmed whether she will run and the National Rally is meeting to decide next steps, with party president Jordan Bardella widely seen as the most likely replacement if she withdraws.
- The convictions stem from a long‑running probe into a “fake jobs” scheme that diverted EU parliamentary assistant funds to party staff, and the ruling leaves the far right competitive while creating immediate legal and political uncertainty that will shape the 2027 race.