Marine Le Pen’s appeal trial opens in Paris, with far-right leader’s 2027 presidential bid at stake

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen appeared in court on Tuesday to appeal an embezzlement conviction that threatens to derail her 2027 presidential ambitions. Standing before a three-judge panel in Paris, the 57-year-old National Rally leader firmly denied any wrongdoing in the misuse of European Parliament funds.

“I’d like to tell the court that we did not feel we had committed any offence,” Le Pen told the packed courtroom, insisting that European Parliament officials never informed her party that their hiring practices potentially violated any rules. “We have never concealed anything.”

Le Pen was convicted in March of misappropriating European Parliament funds in the hiring of aides between 2004 and 2016. The ruling imposed a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with electronic monitoring, a two-year suspended sentence, and a 100,000-euro ($116,800) fine.

The European Parliament’s lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, challenged Le Pen’s characterization of the institution’s role, pointing to inconsistencies in her defense. “There’s a contradiction in saying at the same time: ‘I deny you the right to examine the content of my work as a member of parliament’ and then saying: ‘but the European Parliament didn’t conduct a thorough review,'” he told reporters.

The appeal trial, which involves Le Pen, 10 other defendants, and the National Rally party as a legal entity, is expected to last five weeks. The court’s verdict, which could come before summer, may determine whether Le Pen can pursue her presidential ambitions in 2027.

Until last year’s ruling, Le Pen was widely considered the front-runner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron in the next presidential election. Her National Rally party has consistently topped opinion polls, prompting Le Pen to claim that the judicial system deployed “the nuclear bomb” to block her path to the presidency. She previously denounced the March verdict as “a democratic scandal.”

Anti-corruption advocates view Le Pen’s conviction differently, arguing it demonstrates the effectiveness of French democracy and the principle that no one stands above the law. Transparency France noted that the conviction followed years of investigation and a full trial where Le Pen and her colleagues had ample opportunity to defend themselves.

The March conviction centered on accusations that Le Pen and other party officials diverted funds intended for EU parliamentary assistants to individuals who were actually performing different duties between 2004 and 2016. Some worked directly for the party, then called the National Front, on French domestic politics in violation of EU regulations.

The presiding judge described Le Pen as being at the heart of a “system” designed to misappropriate EU parliament funds, including money used to pay her bodyguard and chief of staff. While the judge acknowledged that Le Pen and the others did not personally enrich themselves, the conviction still dealt a significant blow to her political prospects.

The case originated from a 2015 alert raised by Martin Schulz, then-president of the European Parliament, to French authorities.

This legal battle comes at a critical juncture in Le Pen’s political career. Since taking over the party from her controversial father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has worked diligently to rehabilitate the far-right movement’s image in France. Her efforts included changing the party’s name, expelling her father in 2015, and softening both the party platform and her public persona to distance the organization from its reputation for racism and antisemitism.

Today, the National Rally stands as the largest single political group in France’s lower house of parliament with a growing network of elected officials across the country. While still known for its anti-immigration stance and rhetoric often targeting Muslims, the party has gained significant mainstream appeal under Le Pen’s leadership.

Should the appeal fail and Le Pen be barred from the 2027 presidential race, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, who replaced her as party president in 2021, is widely expected to become the National Rally’s standard-bearer. Bardella has grown increasingly popular, especially among younger voters, though some party members have questioned his leadership capabilities.

On Monday, Bardella expressed concern about the potential implications of Le Pen’s case, describing a possible conviction as “deeply worrying for France’s democracy.”