Overview
- Paris prosecutors requested four years in prison for Le Pen — three suspended and one under electronic monitoring — plus a €100,000 fine and a five-year bar from holding public office.
- They urged judges not to apply the ineligibility order immediately, meaning a presidential run could remain legally possible while further appeals proceed.
- The case centers on allegations that, from 2004 to 2016, salaries for European Parliament assistants were diverted to party work in an organized system directed from the top.
- Le Pen was convicted in March 2025 with an immediate five-year ban, but the appeals court is now weighing the charges anew and is expected to deliver a verdict in the summer.
- Defense arguments are underway; whatever the ruling, either side can turn to the Cour de Cassation, and the RN has pointed to Jordan Bardella as a potential standard-bearer if Le Pen cannot run.