Le Pen Sentenced to Prison—But Could Still Become President

After months of speculation, the verdict has been handed down. Marine Le Pen has been found guilty in the high-profile EU case—but the ruling contains a twist that could have major implications for the French presidential election.

The Paris Court of Appeal announced its ruling on Tuesday in the high-profile case involving European Parliament assistants. Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate for the anti-immigration party Nationell Samling, has been sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended and one of which is to be served with an electronic ankle monitor, reports Le Figaro.

The case concerns whether individuals who were paid as assistants to Members of the European Parliament were instead performing work for the National Rally in France. The court finds that EU funds were thus used in violation of the regulations. Marine Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the assistants’ duties were in compliance with the rules.

A more lenient sentence than in the first instance

When the first verdict was handed down in March 2025, Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were suspended and two of which required her to wear an electronic ankle monitor. She was also fined and barred from holding public office for five years, effective immediately, which meant she risked being barred from the 2027 presidential election even before the verdict became final.

The Court of Appeals has now reduced the prison sentence to three years, of which only one year is to be served with an electronic ankle monitor. At the same time, the ruling means that the previous immediate ban on eligibility no longer prevents her from running in the presidential election. She is barred from running for 15 months, which means she will be eligible to run in the 2027 presidential election, as the ban took effect immediately upon the ruling in March 2025. In addition, she received a 30-month ”sursis” (which can be translated as ”probation”), meaning that if she violates the terms of her probation during this period, the ban could be in full effect for a total of 45 months.

However, the election campaign will have to be conducted while wearing an ankle monitor. Le Pen has previously stated that she will not run for office under such circumstances.

Support from the party

Ahead of the verdict, several representatives of the National Unity Party criticized the legal proceedings. The party leader Jordan Bardella writes on X:

”Nothing can justify excluding Marine Le Pen from the French people’s election and preventing her from standing before them.”

Marine Le Pen has also dismissed speculation that she might leave politics, saying earlier in the proceedings:

– Fear is a feeling that is foreign to me.

The ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal may still be appealed to the French Court of Cassation, which reviews only points of law and does not re-evaluate the evidence. If the court finds that the proceedings were not conducted properly, it may remand the case to another appellate court for a new trial.

Le Pen and Bardella will announce this evening, around 8:00 p.m., whether she will run in the 2027 presidential election.