Marine Le Pen’s political ambitions have taken a devastating hit after a French court barred her from public office for five years over an embezzlement scandal. The verdict, which also handed her a four-year prison sentence (two years suspended) and a €100,000 fine, effectively ends her hopes of running in the 2027 presidential election.
The case centers on allegations that Le Pen and her National Rally party misappropriated €4.4 million in EU funds by hiring fake parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016. Though sentenced, she has not been taken into custody and plans to appeal the decision.
This ruling could reshape France’s political landscape, leaving the far-right scrambling for a new leader while fueling debates about the judiciary’s role in elections.
