Appeal ruling could decide Le Pen’s 2027 presidential prospects
A French appeals court is weighing Marine Le Pen’s conviction over EU funds, with her eligibility for the 2027 race at stake.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
A French appeals court is due to rule Tuesday on Marine Le Pen’s conviction in a European Parliament funding case, a decision that could determine whether she can run for president in 2027. Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported that the case centers on whether Le Pen and other National Rally figures improperly used EU money to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016.
Le Pen, 57, was convicted by a Paris criminal court in March 2025. According to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters, the court found she played a central role in a scheme that diverted 2.9 million euros, or about $3.32 million, from funds meant for European Parliament assistants.
The case against Le Pen
European lawmakers receive public money to cover parliamentary expenses, including assistant salaries, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Prosecutors accused Le Pen and others of using that money for National Rally employees rather than parliamentary work.
Le Pen was ordered to stand trial in 2023 after a seven-year investigation, alongside more than two dozen other defendants, Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported. She and her party denied wrongdoing, saying the funds were used lawfully and that prosecutors defined parliamentary assistant work too narrowly.
The 2025 judgment also fined National Rally 2 million euros, or about $2.29 million, with half of that amount suspended, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Le Pen received a five-year ban from elected office and two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet.
Why the appeal matters
France’s next presidential election is scheduled to begin with a first round on April 18, 2027, followed by a runoff on May 2, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. If the appeals court leaves the five-year ban in place, Le Pen would be unable to stand in that election.
Le Pen has been one of the most visible figures on Europe’s far right and has led polling as a possible contender to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported. If she cannot run, her 30-year-old ally Jordan Bardella would likely become National Rally’s candidate, according to the same reporting.
Le Pen told French broadcaster LCI last week that she would not run if the court required her to wear an electronic bracelet, even if she were otherwise allowed to be a candidate. “If I can be a candidate, I will be a candidate, provided that I am able to campaign,” she said, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
She also said she would use every available appeal if barred from the race, Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported.
What the court could do
The appeals court could clear Le Pen, which would leave her free to pursue the presidency, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters. Legal experts cited in that reporting said such an outcome appears unlikely given the findings of the first court.
The court could also uphold the conviction and keep the five-year ban, which would block her presidential bid unless a further appeal changed the outcome. Le Pen could then go to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court, which reviews whether lower courts applied the law correctly rather than rehearing the facts, according to Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters.
A third outcome would keep the conviction but reduce the penalty. Al Jazeera, AP and Reuters reported that if the ban from public office were removed or shortened to two years or less, Le Pen could still have a path to the 2027 election.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.