French far-right politician Marine Le Pen was sentenced Tuesday by a Paris appeals court to three years, with two years suspended and one year to be served under electronic monitoring, in a long-awaited ruling over EU funds embezzlement.
The ruling presents the 57-year-old with major obstacles to running again in France’s presidential election expected in April 2027, although it leaves the possibility open in theory.
The National Rally politician has previously stated that she would not run next year if she is forced to wear an electronic bracelet, which would mean she would have to abide by strict curfews.
Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who lost run-offs against outgoing President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022, is due to make a statement on her political future Tuesday evening.
She was convicted in March 2025 of misusing EU funds and sentenced to a prison term as well as a five-year ban on running for office, but she appealed the verdict.
The case centered on allegations that members of Le Pen's party – then known as the National Front – improperly used European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay parliamentary assistants who were in fact working, at least in part, for the party.
In its verdict Tuesday, the appeals court narrowed Le Pen's ineligibility to run for office to 15 months, with a further 30 months suspended, meaning her sentence has already been served.
However, it remains unclear whether a further appeal by either the defense or the prosecutors would leave her free to run in 2027.
Even though the verdict could have been considerably harsher, it is a serious blow for Le Pen, who has consistently maintained her innocence.
If Le Pen decides to abandon her bid for the Elysee Palace, National Rally is likely to pick her protege, 30-year-old party leader Jordan Bardella, as the candidate for the elections.
Both politicians are well ahead of potential candidates from other parties and are favored to reach the run-off at the very least.
