Overview

• The Paris Court of Appeal scheduled the retrial for January 13 to February 12, 2026, covering the Rassemblement National, Marine Le Pen and 11 other appellants.
• Judges accelerated the calendar to enable a decision by summer 2026 ahead of the presidential campaign period.
• On March 31, Le Pen was convicted of diverting European Parliament funds and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment including two custodial, a €100,000 fine and five years’ ineligibility with immediate effect.
• The immediate ineligibility currently prevents her from running in upcoming contests including the 2027 presidential election, and she is pursuing appeals and constitutional challenges to contest it.
• Separately, a judicial inquiry into suspected fraud and illicit campaign financing at the RN has been ongoing since July 2024 with a July search of party headquarters, and a constitutional challenge over her automatic mandate loss was rejected in Lille.