Four years in prison and five of ineligibility with immediate effect. It is the verdict of the Court of Paris against the leader of the French far right Marine Le Pen and others 8 Esponenti del Rally National, judged guilty of embezzlement of European funds. The decision of the judges to condemn the Pen to five years of ineligibility with immediate effect It actually excludes the exponent of the RN from the presidential race of 2027.
The judges sentenced the pen to four years in prison, of which two with conditional suspensionand one fine of 100,000 euros. The RN leader decided to appeal And his political future remains linked to the decisions of the magistrates: if there was a new trial in 2026 and the Pen was acquitted would still have the opportunity to apply in 2027. Otherwise the race for the Elisha would be barred.
The sentence triggered an earthquake not only in French politics. The very first hot reaction came from Moscow, with the Cremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov who in a very close lap spoke of “violation of democratic standards”. Solidarity in Le Pen also from Viktor Orban (‘Je Suis Marine’, wrote the Hungarian premier on social media) by Matteo Salvini who defines the sentence “a declaration of war by Brussels” and by the leader of the Spanish ultra -right Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox.
In general, the whole extreme European right manifests solidarity with Le Pen. The ECR, Giorgia Meloni’s group at the European Parliament, speaks of “suspension of the rule of law”.
But it is of course in France that the sentence will have the main repercussions. For Jordan Bardella, Considered the dolphin of Le Pen and the one who probably runs for the Presidency of the Republic if the leader were to give a flat rate, “it is the French democracy that has been executed”. Criticisms of the exclusion of Le Pen from the presidential race also come from the republican right and even from the ultrasound of Jean Luc Melenchon, according to which “the decision to remove an elected representative should be up to the people”.
According to the magistrates, the pronunciation of an ineligibility sentence for the Pen was “necessary” for the “gravity of the facts”, for their “systematic nature”, “their duration”, “the extent of the stolen funds” but also for “the status of elected representatives” of the sentenced people and “the attack on public trust and the rules of democratic game”.
The judges showed that the Rassemblement National (ex Front National) paid between 2004 and 2016 with European funds from the “fictitious” parliamentary assistants who actually worked for the party. The nine MEP were deemed guilty of embezzlement of public funds, while twelve assistants were sentenced for receiving stolen goods.
The Rassemblement National now hopes in the appeal. But according to the reconstruction of the French media, the appeal would suspend the prison sentence and the fine, but would have no impact on the ban on “ineligibility”, which in the meantime remains in force. The appeal will hardly be discussed before 2026, leaving the far right in a prolonged period of uncertainty about Le Pen’s ability to apply in the 2027 elections, and in a disadvantage compared to the political opponents who would instead be in the middle of the election campaign.
International reactions
Cremlin: condemns the pen lede democracy rules
Russia has criticized Marine Le Pen’s condemnation for embezzlement of public funds. It is “one violation of democratic rules“said the Cremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskpov.
“More and more European capitals are traveling on the path of violation of democratic rules,” said Peskov.
Orban: ‘I am a sailor
“Je suis marine!”. So on X the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after the sentence of the leader of the RN.
Bardella, democracy has been executed
“It is French democracy that has been executed.” Jordan Bardella says so after Marine Le Pen’s condemnation. “Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who has been unjustly condemned: it is the French democracy that has been executed,” wrote the president of the Rassemblement National on social media, which is located in the headquarters of the party where Marine Le Pen is also present.
Salvini, condemnation is a declaration of war from Brussels
“Those who are afraid of the judgment of the voters, often are reassured by the judgment of the courts”, says Matteo Salvini explaining that “in Paris they condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to exclude it from political life. A bad film – noting – that we are also seeing in other countries such as Romania”.
“The one against Marine Le Pen – the vice -premier and leader of the League press – is a declaration of war from Brussels, at a time when the war drives of Von der Leyen and Macron are frightening”.
“We don’t get intimidated, we don’t stop: my friend is ahead!”, Salvini concludes.