Marine Le Pen remains eligible after Paris court reduces election ban

The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen’s eligibility to stand for election, after reducing the period of ineligibility imposed on her to 45 months, 30 of them suspended, in her appeal trial over the embezzlement of European public funds.

On Tuesday, the court found Le Pen guilty of embezzling public funds and complicity in that offense, sentencing her to three years in prison, two of them suspended, and one to be served under electronic monitoring. It also imposed a 45-month ban on standing for office, 30 months of which were suspended, leaving an effective ban of just 15 months. That period was deemed to have already been served because of the provisional enforcement of the lower court’s ruling, meaning she remains legally eligible to run.

Under the ruling, Le Pen will be required to wear an electronic bracelet for one year, despite having said in recent months that she did not wish to campaign if she were forced to do so under such conditions.

In explaining the decision, the president of the Court of Appeal, Michèle Agier, said European funds constitute public money and described the facts of the case as serious, noting that they spanned more than 11 years, damaged the reputation of European institutions, and undermined the principle of equality between political parties.

The case stems from allegations that Le Pen and several officials from her party employed European parliamentary assistants to carry out party work unrelated to their duties in the European Parliament. During the appeal, Le Pen changed her line of defense, acknowledging the possibility that she may have committed an offense unintentionally, citing provisions of French criminal law that require intent for a crime to be established. She also pointed out that the European Parliament had never previously warned against such practices.

The Court of Appeal’s ruling also covered a number of National Rally officials accused in the case, who received penalties ranging from suspended prison sentences and fines to bans on standing for office. The party itself was also convicted as a legal entity and fined €2 million, €1 million of it suspended, in addition to the confiscation of €1 million.