Le Pen denounces 'fatal day for democracy' after judge orders five-year political ban

A French court on Monday convicted Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years, in a major blow to her presidential hopes.

Speaking to French TV channel TF1 in her first reaction to the verdict, Le Pen called the ruling a “political decision” aimed at preventing her from running in the 2027 presidential election and said that millions of French people “are outraged."

She called the verdict a violation of the rule of law, said she would appeal and asked that the court proceedings take place before the 2027 campaign.

She would remain ineligible to be a candidate until the appeal is decided.

“I didn't think the magistrates would go so far against our democratic process”, she said in the TF1 interview.

"It's a fatal day for our democracy." 

Le Pen was also sentenced to four years in prison, two of which were commuted to wearing an electronic monitoring device, and a €100,000 fine.

The sentence for Le Pen has effectively barred her from running in the 2027 presidential race.

“There is no personal enrichment, so there is no corruption”, she said. “I'm going to pursue all possible avenues of appeal.”

She will have to resign as councillor for the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. She will continue to serve as an MP but will not be able to stand in legislative elections in the event of another dissolution of parliament in the near future.

A total of eight National Rally MEPs and their twelve assistants were also found guilty and barred from running for office. The party was also fined €2 million.

Le Pen and 24 other National Rally members were found guilty of embezzling money intended for European Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for