Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s right-wing National Rally party, has filed an appeal against a Paris court ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. The verdict effectively bars her from running in the 2027 presidential election, AFP reported on Friday.
According to AFP, all twelve defendants in the case, including Le Pen and her party, have filed appeals. The complaints were submitted by the deadline—midnight on April 10. This means that the other half of the accused have chosen not to contest the ruling.
On March 31, the Paris court found Le Pen and 26 others—including eight Members of the European Parliament from the National Rally—guilty of embezzling public funds through a scheme involving fake parliamentary assistants.
As part of the sentence, Le Pen was banned from holding elected office for five years, casting doubt on her ability to participate in the 2027 presidential race.
However, the Paris Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its final decision in the summer of 2026, which means Le Pen still has a chance to overturn the ruling and run for office.
At present, Marine Le Pen remains the most popular contender for the French presidency. She called the court’s decision politically motivated and vowed to continue her campaign for 2027.
