The French Court of Appeal ruled that Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right party, is guilty of misusing EU funds but reduced her penalties, allowing her to run for the presidency.
On 7 Jul 2026 GMT+7, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's verdict that Marine Le Pen was guilty of misusing European Union funds between 2004 and 2016, but the court reduced her penalties, enabling her to stand in the French presidential election in April 2027.
The court reduced Le Pen's political office ban from five years to 15 months, suspending the remaining 45 months. The penalty was backdated to March 2025, when her guilt was first established, meaning she has now fully served this sentence.
Regarding a three-year prison sentence, the court converted it to a two-year suspended sentence and one year of house arrest with mandatory electronic ankle monitoring (EM). This penalty does not completely bar Le Pen from running for president.
The court explained it weighed the political disqualification against the "freedom to stand for election" and the "right of voters to freely choose."
It stated that it is the court's duty to assess whether the punishment is proportionate, while acknowledging that candidacy and voting rights are fundamental to the democratic process.
Previously, Le Pen repeatedly said she would not run for president if required to wear an electronic ankle monitor, as it would make her feel she lacked "full freedom" to campaign.
However, she recently announced in a televised address that she will run in the 2027 presidential election and will appeal to the Court of Cassation to challenge the embezzlement verdict.
This appeal has temporarily suspended the order for her to wear the electronic monitor until the Court of Cassation issues its ruling, expected in early 2027.
Le Pen continues to lead opinion polls with less than 10 months before the election. She has run for president three times before, losing twice to Emmanuel Macron, who cannot run again due to term limits after two terms.
Macron has not commented on the ruling, but political opponents quickly condemned Le Pen. Olivier Faure of the Socialist Party said she should not run, as the highest office candidate must set a good example, which he claims she does not.
Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, said this contradicts repeated claims by the National Rally party, noting "there was no legal conspiracy to target [Le Pen]... and one could even say she has been treated quite leniently."
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Source:bbc