A French court found on Monday the extreme right -wing leader Marine Le Pen of funds of the European Union Malversation of funds, in a trial that could see her forbidden of the 2027 presidential race.
The verdict about the punishment he will face, which is expected later in the day, could turn the policy in France. Le Pen, head of the National Right Rally (RN), is the favorite in opinion surveys before the 2027 vote.
Prosecutors have requested that Le Pen in front of an immediate prohibition of five years from public office if it is declared guilty, regardless of any appeal process, using a call of “provisional execution”. Judges can adopt, modify or ignore the request of prosecutors.
The public office ban could end the presidential hopes of Le Pen
A five -year automatic prohibition would hammer Le Pen, 56, a three -time presidential contender who said that 2027 will be his last career for the best position. She would keep her parliamentary seat until the end of her mandate.
Le Pen, who did not talk to journalists when he arrived at the Court, accused the prosecutors of seeking his “political death”, claiming a plot to maintain the RN of the power echoing the claims made by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, about his legal problems.
Le Pen, the RN and the two dozen party figures were accused of diverting the funds of the European Parliament to pay the party personnel based in France. The defendants said that the money was legitimately used and that the accusations define too much for what a parliamentary assistant does.
However, Judge Benedict of Perthuit ruled: “It was established that all these people were really working for the party, that their legislator (from the EU) had not given them any task.”
“The investigations also showed that these were not administrative errors … but embezzlement in the framework of an established system to reduce the costs of the part.”
