Particle.news
Download on the App Store
29 ARTICLES
·
2h ago

Le Pen’s Appeal Opens in Paris, Putting 2027 Bid on the Line

The multi‑week hearing will determine whether the five‑year ineligibility from her 2025 conviction stands, shaping her ability to run for president in 2027.

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, and member of parliament Jean-Philippe Tanguy attend a debate following French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's first general policy speech in front of the parliament and the new government at the National Assembly in Paris, France, October 14, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) political party, and French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen talk to journalists as they leave after a meeting with the French Prime Minister as part of a series of consultations with political parties, a week before a confidence vote he is seeking from the National Assembly on the budget issue, at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, September 2, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Image
Image

Overview

  • Marine Le Pen’s appeal opened Tuesday at the Paris Court of Appeal, with hearings scheduled through February 12 and a ruling expected before the summer.
  • Addressing the court, Le Pen said she had no feeling of having committed a crime and argued the European Parliament failed to raise alerts, signaling a defense centered on lack of criminal intent and unclear rules.
  • In March 2025 she was convicted of misappropriating EU funds from 2004 to 2016, receiving four years’ imprisonment (two firm under electronic monitoring), a €100,000 fine, and an immediate five‑year ban from public office.
  • The first‑instance judgment awarded more than €3 million in damages to the European Parliament and fined the National Rally €2 million, half suspended.
  • The outcome will decide her eligibility for 2027; she has named Jordan Bardella as a fallback, and France’s Court of Cassation has indicated it could fast‑track any subsequent appeal.