In the appeal proceedings against the French right-wing populist Marine Le Pen, the public prosecutor’s office has requested a five-year ban on running for public office. Unlike the first-instance ruling, however, this should not come into force immediately, the prosecution explained on Tuesday in Paris. She is also demanding a prison sentence of four years, three of which are on probation and one year under electronic monitoring.
The trigger is a verdict from March 2025 in which Le Pen was convicted of misusing EU Parliament funds in the employment of employees between 2004 and 2016. In the ongoing appeal process, which began last month, she admitted that party employees of the then Front National were paid through the European Parliament. She described this approach as a mistake. (hkl)
Update follows…