{"id":1471,"date":"2026-07-05T06:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T06:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2026-07-05T06:40:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T06:40:13","slug":"how-paris-appeals-court-ruling-could-upend-marine-le-pens-2027-presidential-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1471","title":{"rendered":"How Paris appeals court ruling could upend Marine Le Pen\u2019s 2027 presidential bid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARIS (AP) \u2014 Paris\u2019 appeals court is set to rule Tuesday in Marine Le Pen\u2019s embezzlement case<\/span>, a decision that could determine whether one of France\u2019s leading presidential contenders<\/span> can run in next year\u2019s election.<\/p>\n

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Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds by paying party staff with money intended for EU parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.<\/p>\n

The lower court sentenced her to prison time, suspended pending appeal, and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and still hopes to mount a fourth bid for the presidency.<\/p>\n

If she is barred from running, her longtime prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Jordan Bardella<\/span>, 30, could instead become the party\u2019s presidential candidate, reshaping the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at the possible outcomes and what they could mean for France\u2019s 2027 presidential election.<\/p>\n

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Le Pen is looking for an acquittal<\/h2>\n

In what would be the best-case scenario for Le Pen, the appeals court could clear her of all charges.<\/p>\n

During the five-week appeal trial earlier this year, Le Pen acknowledged \u201ca mistake.\u201d She told the court some employees paid as EU parliamentary aides performed work for her party<\/span>, then known as the National Front, but insisted that she believed such work was allowed and never attempted to hide it. <\/p>\n

She also reproached European Parliament officials for not warning her party, at the time, that the way it was hiring people was potentially against any rules.<\/p>\n

Le Pen\u2019s lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, told the three-judge panel his client \u201cis entrusting you with the work of her life, and the question is thus whether it will end here or whether it can be rebuilt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prosecutors could still appeal to the Court of Cassation, France\u2019s highest court, to challenge an acquittal decision. <\/p>\n

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If she gets a two-year ban \u2014 or less \u2014 on holding elected office<\/h2>\n

The appeals court could find Le Pen guilty but reduce the ban on holding elected office to two years or less \u2014 or impose no ban at all.<\/p>\n

Because the lower court ordered the ban to take immediate effect, Le Pen has been serving that portion of the sentence since March 31 last year. A ban of two years or less would expire before the first round of the French presidential election, scheduled in April 2027.<\/p>\n

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But that does not automatically mean Le Pen would run: Any prison sentence, electronic monitoring<\/span> or other judicial restrictions could severely hamper a nationwide campaign.<\/p>\n

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Le Pen has suggested she would not launch a presidential bid<\/span> in such case. <\/p>\n

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