French politician Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) political party, has been found guilty of embezzling millions of euros in European Parliament funds.

She was found guilty of using the European Union funds illegally to pay her political party members and political supporters affiliated with her Rassemblement National party and its predecessor, the Front National (National Front)—sometimes by giving them jobs involving no work.

Le Monde reports that “Marine Le Pen a peut-être perdu sa dernière chance d’accéder à l’Elysée. Reconnue coupable de détournement de fonds publics par le tribunal correctionnel de Paris, lundi 31 mars, dans l’affaire des assistants parlementaires du Front national (FN), la députée du Pas-de-Calais a été condamnée à une peine de quatre ans d’emprisonnement dont deux ans ferme, aménageable avec un bracelet électronique, 100 000 euros d’amende, et cinq ans d’inéligibilité. Conformément aux réquisitions du parquet, énoncées le 13 novembre 2024, cette dernière peine est assortie d’une exécution provisoire, ce que l’élue craignait avant toute chose.”

The New York Times provides a report in English: “Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was found guilty of embezzlement by a criminal court in Paris on Monday and immediately barred from running for public office for five years, jeopardizing her plans to compete in France’s 2027 presidential election.”

“The verdict was a major blow to the perennial presidential ambitions of Ms. Le Pen, an anti-immigrant, nationalist politician who has already mounted three failed bids. Looking grim and murmuring ‘incredible,’ she walked briskly out of the courtroom before the judges had completed reading her sentence.”

The sentence bars Marine Le Pen from running for political office in France for the next five years, effective immediately.

“The court also sentenced Ms. Le Pen, 56, to four years in prison, with two of those years suspended, and a fine of 100,000 euros, or about $108,000. She has long denied any wrongdoing in the case, which involved accusations that her party, the National Rally, illegally used several million euros in European Parliament funds for expenses between 2004 and 2016,” according to The New York Times.

“She is widely expected to appeal the verdict, which would put most of her sentence on hold, but not the ban on running for public office. The court ruled that her electoral ineligibility is effective immediately. As a result, only a successful appeal before the 2027 deadline to enter the race would allow her to run.”

Marine Le Pen will surely appeal the decision, but it seems unlikely that any appeal would proceed quickly enough to be adjudicated prior to the deadline to file a candidacy for the upcoming French Presidential Election in 2027.

The Guardian reports on the impact of the sentence: “The decision was a political earthquake for Le Pen, the leader of the far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party, who had hoped to mount a fourth campaign to become president. Le Pen, 56, said before the verdict that that any immediate ban on running for election would be like a ‘political death sentence’ and that judges had ‘the power of life or death over our movement.’ She is likely to immediately appeal against the verdict.”

Following the verdict Jordan Bardella emerges as the most likely National Rally presidential candidate, but at 29 years old, many political observers consider him to young and unexperienced to run.

Leseur, Corentin. “La candidature de Marine Le Pen à la présidentielle en 2027 compromise après sa condamnation à une peine d’inéligibilité avec exécution provisoire.” Le Monde (31 March 2025).

Breeden, Aurelien and Roger Cohen. “Le Pen Barred From French Presidential Run After Embezzlement Ruling.” The New York Times (31 March 2025).

Chrisafis, Angelique. “Marine Le Pen Barred from Running for French Presidency in 2027.” The Guardian (31 March 2025).