A French appeals court has upheld the conviction of Marine Le Pen in the case involving the misuse of European Union funds. However, by modifying her sentence, the court stopped short of completely preventing Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election and also reduced the duration of her political ban.
The court ruled that Le Pen and several associates had misused a total of €2.8 million in public funds. Under the ruling, Le Pen was sentenced to three years in prison. Two years of the sentence were suspended, while the remaining one year will be served under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor. She was also fined €100,000.
Political Ban Reduced
The appeals court also amended the ruling that barred Le Pen from running for public office. Although the court imposed a 45-month political ban, it suspended 30 months of that period, reducing the effective ban to 15 months.
The decision leaves the door open for Le Pen to compete in France’s 2027 presidential election. The first round of voting is scheduled for April 2027, with the runoff expected to take place in May.
In an interview with French television channel LCI last week, Le Pen said she would not consider running for president while wearing an electronic ankle monitor.
“When you are a presidential candidate, you must be able to move completely freely. If you are wearing an electronic ankle monitor, that is not possible,” Le Pen said.
She also retains the right to apply to the court in January 2027 for a reduction of her sentence.
Macron Declines to Comment
Speaking during a visit to Syria following the ruling, French President Emmanuel Macron declined to comment on the judicial process.
“For the sake of democracy, it is right that the President of the Republic does not comment on court decisions,” Macron said.