Marine Le Pen has been convicted of embezzling European Parliament funds and sentenced to four years in prison – two of them suspended – alongside a five-year ban from holding a public office. The ruling has sparked mass protest, intensified France’s political polarization, and raised broader questions about the limits of EU funding rules and judicial power.
Marine Le Pen, the longstanding figurehead of France’s far right National Rally and an unsuccessful candidate in the 2022 French presidential election, has found herself in the center of a political storm. On March 31, 2025, Le Pen was found guilty of helping to embezzle €2.9m of EU funds between 2004 and 2016.
This ruling has not only cast a shadow over Le Pen’s political future, it also raised urgent questions about the legal frameworks used in prosecuting elected officials. Moreover, as France prepares to hold presidential elections in 2027, the fallout from this case has the potential to reshape the country’s political landscape.
Convictions with consequences
The court found, after a two-month trial, that Marine Le Pen and over 20 other individuals, including senior figures of the National Rally party, misused European Parliament funds by organizing a system of fake job contracts and paying their party’s staff with money that was intended to fund assistants in the European Parliament.
Bénédicte de Perthuis, the presiding judge of the court that ruled on the case, stated that Le Pen’s actions constituted a serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life in Europe.
Le Pen was sentenced to a four-year prison sentence – however, she will not serve time behind bars. Two years of the sentence were suspended [1], while the remaining two will be served under electronic monitoring outside of prison. However, as perhaps the most crucial part of her punishment, Le Pen received a five-year ban from holding public office.
Therefore, the ruling immediately disqualifies her from running in the 2027 presidential election, despite her decision to appeal. Under French law, the ban on holding a public office remains in effect throughout the appeal process, unless it is overturned or suspended by a higher court.
Political reactions and public divide
Le Pen has denied guilt and has strongly condemned the verdict, calling it a “political attack” and a “tyranny of judges”. The verdict was also condemned by both her party and representatives of the European far right. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, added that “judges must be protected”, while stating that the law is the same for everyone. Moreover, the US president Donald Trump called Le Pen’s conviction a “very big deal”, drawing a comparison to the situation in the United States.
The situation took an even more controversial turn when Bénédicte de Perthuis received several death threats. A 76-year-old man was found guilty of threatening the judge - he was sentenced to eight months, suspended, and fined €3.000. After receiving death threats and having her home address posted online, judge de Perthuis was placed under police protection.
Thousands of France’s far right National Rally party supporters gathered in Paris to protest against the court decision. However, several public surveys indicated that a majority of people across France clearly support Le Pen’s conviction. According to a poll for the French Le Point, 61 % of French people agree with the court’s verdict.
The legal rationale
Le Pen’s conviction highlights a key dilemma in modern democracies: To what extent can a criminal trial influence the democratic processes by disqualifying a politician from holding a future public office? And is it possible to judge politicians without a judge being biased?
The case also revolves around a question that has long posed a challenge for both French and European institutions: How can we distinguish between legitimate political activity and fraud when EU funds are involved? In this case, the court has stated that Le Pen knowingly diverted the funds to benefit her domestic party. However, there is an inherent vagueness in distinguishing political and domestic parliamentary work. Especially for more senior political figures, these two roles can often overlap.
What makes this case particularly serious is that the misuse of EU funds for domestic political campaigning violates not only the French criminal law, but also essential EU financial rules. Under Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, both member states and EU institutions are required to combat fraud and any illegal activities affecting the EU’s financial interests.
However, the European financial regulation itself remains relatively general and does not offer detailed guidance on how to separate legitimate European Union parliamentary functions from purely domestic political operations. This legal ambiguity leaves a significant room for interpretation, especially in cases involving prominent political figures whose activities naturally span in both EU and national spheres.
Turning point for the far right
It seems that the National Rally already has a so-called plan B, which would come into play if Le Pen were unable to run for the 2027 presidential election. After a meteoric rise in popularity, not just among young voters, a 29-year-old politician Jordan Bardella, is second in line for the right wing populist movement’s presidential nomination [2].
Jordan Bardella advocates for limiting immigration, strongly protecting French identity, economic reforms and criticizing current environmental policies. With his growing influence, Bardella could play a key role in shaping the future of the National Rally and France’s political landscape.
In conclusion
Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzling EU funds has not only intensified political polarization in France but also raised significant questions about the intersection of law and politics in modern democracies. While Le Pen continues to protest her innocence, the ruling continues to cast a shadow over her political future. This case highlights the challenges of navigating legal accountability and political influence, as France faces a crucial turning point in its political landscape.
Notes:
[1] When a prison sentence is suspended, it means that the person does not serve that part of the sentence, as long as they meet certain conditions; typically not committing another crime during a specific period.
[2] Any French citizen who is over 18 years old and meets the requirements set by French law is eligible to become the president of the country.
Sources:
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Photo:
Marine Le Pen. Marine Le Pen, banquet des Mille, Paris15, author: NdFrayssinet, January 3 2012, source: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
