French politician Marine Le Pen has blasted prosecutors’ demands to bar her from office for five years over embezzlement charges related to the “European parliamentary assistants affair.”
She called the proposed penalties—including prison time, a €300,000 fine, and immediate enforcement—even if appealed, “violent” and an attempt to silence a major opposition voice. Le Pen argued that the charges aim to undermine her and her party, the National Rally (RN), which made strong electoral gains this year.
Le Pen’s allies across Europe and within France have criticized the legal action as a threat to democracy, with figures like RN President Jordan Bardella and Italy’s Matteo Salvini voicing support. Even leaders outside her party, like former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Éric Ciotti of Les Républicains, expressed concern, arguing that political battles should be settled by voters, not in courtrooms.
Éric Zemmour, leader of Reconquête and a nationalist rival of Le Pen, also spoke out against the prosecution’s actions. “Whatever our disagreements, it is surely not up to justice to decide who can be a candidate in the presidential election,” he stated, expressing his worries about what he views as judicial overreach into democratic processes.
The case traces back to a 2015 report alleging RN misused EU funds to pay party employees in France instead of parliamentary assistants. Prosecutors claim that nearly €3 million was misappropriated. Le Pen maintains the charges are politically motivated, aimed at blocking her potential 2027 presidential bid.
