Marine Le Pen Appeals Embezzlement Conviction

Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Rally party, appeared before a Paris appeals court on Tuesday to challenge her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds, a ruling that currently bars her from running in the 2027 presidential election.

The three-judge panel began hearings in the case, which involves Le Pen and 11 co-defendants, including other party members. The trial is scheduled to continue for up to five weeks, with a verdict expected by summer. Le Pen, 57, was convicted in March 2025 of embezzlement and complicity in misusing public funds between 2004 and 2016. Prosecutors alleged that she and her associates hired assistants for the European Parliament who instead performed work for the party, then known as the National Front and renamed Rassemblement National in 2018. The scheme included payments for a bodyguard and chief of staff, according to court findings. The original sentence imposed a four-year prison term, with two years suspended and the remainder to be served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, along with a fine of approximately 100,000 euros. Most critically, it included a five-year ban on holding public office, effective...