French Court Rules Le Pen Guilty, Opens Door for Presidential Run

Thairath•International•18d ago

Reader Briefing

A French appeals court found Marine Le Pen guilty of misusing EU funds but reduced her sentence, allowing her to potentially run for president again.

•Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right party, has been found guilty of misusing EU funds by a French appeals court.
•The court reduced her penalties, including a ban from holding political office, opening the possibility for her to run in the April 2027 presidential election.
•Le Pen had previously stated she would not run if required to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, a penalty for a portion of her sentence.
•The ruling has drawn criticism from political opponents who argue she should not be a role model for the presidency.

•On July 7, 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's verdict that Marine Le Pen was guilty of misusing European Union (EU) funds.
•The misuse of EU funds by Marine Le Pen occurred between the years 2004 and 2016.
•The court reduced various penalties against Marine Le Pen, allowing her eligibility for the presidential election in April 2027.
•Marine Le Pen's 5-year ban from holding political office was reduced to 15 months, with the remaining 45 months suspended, resulting in her eligibility.
•The sentence is backdated to March 2025, meaning Marine Le Pen has now served the penalty in full.
•A 3-year prison sentence for Marine Le Pen was suspended for 2 years, with 1 year of house arrest and electronic monitoring.
•The court weighed the disqualification from political office against the "freedom to stand for election" and the "free choice of voters" in its decision.
•Marine Le Pen previously stated she would not run for president if required to wear an electronic bracelet, perceiving it as a lack of "complete freedom" to campaign.

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Marine Le Pen

"She would not run for president if she had to wear an electronic bracelet, as she would not feel "complete freedom" to campaign."

เธอจะไม่ลงสมัครชิงตำแหน่งประธานาธิบดีหากต้องสวมกำไลอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ เนื่องจากเธอจะรู้สึกว่าไม่มี “เสรีภาพอย่างเต็มที่” ในการหาเสียง

Olivier Faure

"She should not run for election, as a candidate for the highest position in France needs to be a good role model, which is not the case for her."

เธอไม่ควรลงสมัครรับเลือกตั้ง เนื่องจากผู้สมัครชิงตำแหน่งสูงสุดของฝรั่งเศสจำเป็นต้องทำตัวเป็นแบบอย่างที่ดี ซึ่งในกรณีของเธอนั้นไม่ได้เป็นเช่นนั้นเลย

Marine Tondelier

"There was no legal conspiracy to target [Le Pen]... and one might even say she received considerable leniency."

ไม่มีการสมคบคิดกันในทางกฎหมายเพื่อเล่นงาน [เลอ เปน]... และคุณอาจพูดได้ด้วยซ้ำว่าเธอได้รับความปรานีอย่างมากแล้ว

Marine Le Pen(มารีน เลอ เปน)ℹ️

Leader of France's far-right party facing charges of misusing EU funds.

Jordan Bardella(จอร์แดน บาร์เดลลา)ℹ️

Marine Le Pen's protégé and potential successor as a presidential candidate.

Emmanuel Macron(เอ็มมานูเอล มาครง)ℹ️

The current President of France who narrowly defeated Marine Le Pen in previous elections.

Olivier Faure(โอลิวิเยร์ โฟร์)ℹ️

Leader of the Socialist Party who criticized Marine Le Pen's eligibility to run for president.

Marine Tondelier(มารีน ตงเดอลิเยร์)ℹ️

Leader of the Greens party who commented on the court's ruling regarding Marine Le Pen.

European Union(สหภาพยุโรป)ℹ️

Organization whose funds Marine Le Pen was found to have misused.

Socialist Party(พรรคสังคมนิยม)ℹ️

Political party led by Olivier Faure, which opposes Marine Le Pen's presidential candidacy.

Greens Party(พรรคกรีนส์)ℹ️

Political party led by Marine Tondelier, which commented on the court's ruling regarding Marine Le Pen.

National Rally Party(พรรคเนชันแนล แรลลี)ℹ️

The far-right political party led by Marine Le Pen.

Paris Court of Appeal(ศาลอุทธรณ์กรุงปารีส)

The court that issued the verdict concerning Marine Le Pen's misuse of funds.