A French appeals court has reduced the sentence of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in her embezzlement case, potentially allowing her to contest France’s 2027 presidential election despite upholding her conviction.
The court on Tuesday upheld Le Pen’s 2025 conviction for misappropriating European Union funds but reduced both her ban from holding public office and her prison sentence.
The ruling cuts her ban from seeking elected office from five years to 15 months, while reducing her prison sentence to three years, two years suspended and one year to be served under electronic monitoring.
2027 Presidential Ambition on Track
The revised sentence means the 57-year-old leader of the far-right National Rally could legally return to electoral politics in time for the 2027 presidential election. However, she would be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor while serving the custodial portion of her sentence. Le Pen has previously said she would not run for president under such conditions.
Le Pen was convicted alongside several former members and staff of her party over a scheme involving the misuse of European Parliament funds. Prosecutors argued that public money intended for parliamentary assistants was instead used to finance party activities and pay individuals who were not carrying out legitimate parliamentary work.
The case stems from Le Pen’s tenure as a member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2017, when her party was still known as the National Front. She has consistently denied wrongdoing and has described the prosecution as politically motivated.
Marine Le pen who finished as runner-up in France’s 2017 and 2022 elections is a major contender for 2027 but if she opts not to run, attention is likely to shift to Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old president of National Rally, who is widely regarded as her political successor and has emerged as one of France’s most popular opposition figures.
