PARIS — France’s prominent far-right figure Marine Le Pen appeared before an appeals court on Tuesday in a pivotal legal battle that could ultimately determine her eligibility for the 2027 presidential election. The 57-year-old political leader is challenging her March conviction for misappropriating European Parliament funds, a verdict that currently carries a five-year prohibition from elected office, two years of electronic monitoring house arrest, an additional suspended sentence, and a €100,000 ($116,800) penalty.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Le Pen expressed optimism about demonstrating her innocence to the judicial panel, noting that ‘It’s a new court with new judges. The case will be reset, to some extent.’ This appeal represents a crucial juncture for Le Pen, who had emerged as the probable frontrunner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron until last year’s conviction sent tremors through France’s political landscape—a decision she vehemently condemned as ‘a democratic scandal.’
The legal proceedings, expected to span five weeks and involve Le Pen alongside eleven co-defendants, center on allegations that between 2004 and 2016, European parliamentary funds designated for assistants were improperly diverted to support domestic political activities of her party, then known as the National Front. Judicial authorities maintained that Le Pen orchestrated a systematic scheme to channel EU resources, including allocations for her security detail and chief of staff, though the court acknowledged no personal enrichment occurred.
This case originated from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities. The outcome carries profound implications for Le Pen’s political trajectory following her extensive efforts to mainstream far-right politics in France. Since assuming leadership from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011, she has systematically worked to distance the party from its historical associations with racism and antisemitism—rebranding it as the National Rally, expelling her father, and moderating both policy positions and public rhetoric.
These strategic shifts have yielded significant political dividends, with the National Rally now constituting the largest singular bloc in France’s National Assembly and establishing an extensive network of local representatives nationwide. Should the appeal fail and Le Pen face electoral disqualification, leadership would likely transfer to 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, whose popularity has surged particularly among younger demographics despite internal party questions regarding his leadership capabilities.
The appeals court’s three-judge panel is anticipated to deliver its ruling before summer, with potential outcomes ranging from full acquittal to reinforced conviction that might include up to a decade imprisonment and €1 million fine. Bardella characterized the potential conviction as ‘deeply worrying for French democracy’ during his New Year address, reflecting the high-stakes nature of this judicial proceeding for France’s political future.