politics
French Appeals Court Upholds Le Pen Conviction but Cuts Office Ban and Prison Term
An appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen's 2025 conviction for misusing EU funds while shortening her public office ban to 15 months effective and adjusting her sentence to one year of house arrest with an electronic tag. Le Pen, 57, has said she will not run for president if required to wear the tag. She is expected to announce her decision Tuesday evening ahead of the April 18 first-round vote.
Jul 7, 8:28 AM·1m read3 sources
SK
Choice preservedConviction uphel
France 24Audio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
A French appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for misusing European Parliament funds but reduced the length of her ban on holding public office and her prison term. The court set the effective period of ineligibility at 15 months, which began with the lower court verdict in March 2025, and ordered her to serve one year under house arrest with an electronic tag.
Le Pen, 57, was found guilty of embezzling €4.4 million in EU funds between 2004 and 2016 along with 23 co-defendants.
The scheme paid National Rally staff in France using money intended for parliamentary assistants, including a personal secretary and a bodyguard. The lower court had described her as playing a central role in the system. Le Pen denied during her second trial that her party operated any system to embezzle EU money and said it acted in complete good faith.
The appeals court reduced the office ban from five years to 45 months, with 30 months suspended, and cut the prison sentence from four years to three years, with two suspended. Le Pen has repeatedly stated she would not run for president if required to wear an electronic ankle tag. She is expected to announce her decision in a French television interview Tuesday evening.
The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for 18 April.
