Marine Le Pen returned to court in Paris this week to appeal her conviction for misusing European Union funds, firmly denying any wrongdoing as judges weigh a decision that could determine her political future. The outcome of the case will decide whether the longtime National Rally (RN) leader can run in France's 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen was last year handed a five-year ban from holding public office after being found guilty of diverting more than €4 million in EU funds. Judges ruled that money intended to pay European Parliament staff had instead been used to finance party workers between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen and several co-defendants have challenged that ruling.
During the appeal hearings, Le Pen adopted a more restrained legal tone than in previous court appearances but maintained her core defence. "I formally contest the idea that there was a kind of system," she told the court, rejecting claims that the party deliberately organised the misuse of EU funds.
She also pointed to her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the party's founder, saying he retained effective control of the organisation until 2014. While acknowledging that internal arrangements were flawed, she insisted that staff paid with EU money were genuinely working. "The way things were functioning wasn't ideal," she said, "but all those people were working."
The trial is expected to run until mid-February, with a ruling due before the summer. If Le Pen's ban is lifted or reduced, she could remain a contender for the presidency; if not, RN president Jordan Bardella is widely seen as the party's likely replacement candidate.