Overview
- Eleven co-defendants and the Rassemblement National stand with Marine Le Pen in an appeals trial over alleged misuse of European Parliament assistant funds from 2004 to 2016.
- The first-instance verdict in March 2025 imposed four years’ imprisonment—two with electronic monitoring and two suspended—a €100,000 fine, and an immediate five-year disqualification from standing for office.
- Proceedings are scheduled through mid-February, and the court has indicated it expects to deliver its ruling by summer 2026.
- Le Pen denies wrongdoing and says she aims to convince the new panel of judges, having adjusted her defense team while maintaining her claim of innocence.
- If the sentence and the ban are upheld, she would be unable to run in 2027 and the party is expected to turn to its leader Jordan Bardella, who has publicly voiced full support and criticized the judiciary.