PULSE POINTS:

What Happened: French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen has been found “guilty” of misusing European Union (EU) funds and has been sentenced to a five-year ban from politics and a four-year prison sentence, half of which is suspended.

Who’s Involved: Marine Le Pen, presiding judge Bénédicte de Perthuis, co-defendants including Thierry Légier and Catherine Griset, and political figures like Éric Coquerel and Jordan Bardella.

Where & When: The verdict was delivered at a Paris court, with proceedings concluding in March 2025 following a trial held in late 2024.

Key Quote: “Marine Le Pen has been at the heart of this illegal system since 2009,” said presiding Judge de Perthuis, labeling the actions as a threat to democracy.

Impact: Le Pen’s ban prevents her from running in the 2027 presidential election. She has been the leading candidate in opinion polls for months.

IN FULL:

Marine Le Pen, the long-standing leader of France’s National Rally party who is leading opinion polls for the presidency, has been prohibited from participating in any elections for the next five years following a court ruling. Le Pen, aged 56, was convicted of misusing European Union funds. She received a near $100,000 fine along with her political ban.

More concerningly, she has been given a four-year prison sentence, of which two years are suspended, with the potential option of serving the remaining time under electronic monitoring.

The Paris court’s decision came after Le Pen and several associated party personnel were found guilty of diverting funds meant for EU parliamentary assistants to pay party staff from 2004 to 2016, a violation of arcane and oft-mocked EU regulations.

Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis, who headed the proceedings, deemed the actions a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life” within both Europe and France. This ruling impacts Le Pen’s anticipated candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election. Despite the conviction, Le Pen and her co-defendants deny any wrongdoing, asserting their actions were within legal bounds.

Global figures like Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban have shown support for Le Pen, cautioning that democratic norms are being sidelined.

The conviction affects others as well, including Catherine Griset, who received a suspended sentence and electoral ban, and Louis Aliot, sentenced to a partially suspended 18-month prison term. As Le Pen’s political future hangs in balance, attention turns to younger political figures like Jordan Bardella, who Le Pen has encouraged towards leadership within the party. Bardella recently reneged on a speech in United States after left wing media reports alleging Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon performed a ‘Nazi salute’ at the same CPAC conference at which Bardella was due to speak.

Le Pen remains a pivotal figure in French politics, her party having already made substantial inroads into the mainstream political landscape over recent years. The verdict represents the latest case of lawfare against populist parties, with French voters likely to dissent against the idea that rogue judges can rule candidates ineligible for office.

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