Le Pen found guilty of embezzlement and barred from French elections for five years
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen leaves the courtroom after a French court found hern guilty in an embezzlement case but didn't immediately say what her sentence might be and how it might impact the far-right leader's political future, March 31, 2025 in Paris
A FRENCH court barred Marine Le Pen today from seeking public office for five years, with immediate effect, for embezzlement.
Ms Le Pen was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment under house arrest.
In addition, the judge handed down guilty verdicts for embezzling public funds to eight other current or former members of her party who, like Ms Le Pen, previously served as European Parliament lawmakers.
From Reform UK to Trump, Orban and beyond, the far right is organised across borders and growing. Waiting for it to collapse is a fatal error – building an international, locally rooted left alternative is now an urgent necessity., argues ROGER McKENZIE