Paris.– A Paris appeals court ruled this Tuesday to modify the sentence imposed on political leader Marine Le Pen, allowing her to run for public office again and clearing the way for a potential candidacy in the France 2027 presidential elections.
The court upheld the guilty verdict for embezzlement issued in 2025, considering that Le Pen and other members of her party, National Rally, improperly used European Parliament resources intended for parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.
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However, the court reduced the prison sentence from four to three years, of which one must be served under house arrest with electronic monitoring and the other two will remain on probation.
Likewise, the disqualification from holding public office was reduced from five years to 45 months, of which 30 are conditional. Considering that Le Pen has already served the first 15 months of that sanction since March 31, 2025, the judges determined that she can now legally run as a candidate in future elections.
However, the political leader would have to serve the period of house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor, a condition she has previously stated she is not willing to accept.
With this judicial decision, Marine Le Pen regains the possibility of competing for the Presidency of France in the elections scheduled for 2027, although her judicial situation continues to be a central issue in the French political scene.
