Marine Le Pen found guilty of embezzlement of EU funds and banned from elections
Photo: Marine Le Pen, French MEP (Getty Images)
The leader of France's far-right party National Rally, Marine Le Pen, along with eight other Members of the European Parliament (MEP), has been found guilty of misusing EU funds, The Guardian reports.
The verdicts for each of the defendants will be announced separately.
It is noted that the defendants were not accused of embezzling the funds but rather of using them for the benefit of their party.
"The investigation also showed that these were not administrative errors ... but rather embezzlement within a system designed to reduce party expenses," the judge stated.
The Guardian adds that the court ruled that Le Pen would be banned from running for public office. However, the judge has not yet specified how long the ban will remain in effect.
The next presidential elections in France will be held in 2027.
Court decision
According to BFM TV, Le Pen has been sentenced to four years in prison, two of which are suspended, in the form of house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Furthermore, she has been fined 100,000 euros (108,000 dollars) and banned from participating in elections for five years.
Marine Le Pen
Marine Le Pen is a French politician and the leader of the right-wing populist party National Rally (formerly National Front). She is known for her anti-immigration rhetoric, Euroskepticism, and efforts to rebrand the party, which was previously led by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Le Pen faced criticism for her long-standing pro-Russian stance. She had supported closer ties with Moscow.
For more details on who Marine Le Pen is and what she has said about Ukraine, read our article on the topic.
