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France’s former far-right leader Marine Le Pen appeared in court on Tuesday to appeal her corruption conviction, in a case that could have a serious impact on her 2027 presidential ambitions.
The 57-year-old is challenging a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. The sentence sentenced him to a five-year ban from holding elected office, two years of house arrest with an electronic tag, a further two years of probation and a €100,000 (£87,000) fine.
Ms Le Pen remained silent after arriving at the court. She stood quietly before a three-judge jury at the start of the trial while the court’s president read out the cause of action. The courtroom was reportedly packed with dozens of journalists and members of the public.
“I hope I can convince the judge of my innocence,” Le Pen told reporters on Monday. “This is a new court with a new judge. This case will be reset, so to speak.”
Le Pen had been seen as a potential frontrunner to succeed President Macron in the 2027 election until last year’s ruling shocked French politics. She denounced it as a “democratic scandal”.
Her National Rally party has been at the top of the polls, and Le Pen has claimed the justice system has used a “nuclear bomb” to prevent her from becoming France’s president.
Anti-corruption activists believe Le Pen’s conviction proves that France’s democratic system works and that no one is above the law. Advocacy group Transparency France noted that her conviction followed years of investigations and a lengthy trial in which Le Pen and other party members were free to defend their positions.
The appeal trial involving Le Pen, 10 other defendants and the National Rally party as a legal entity is expected to last five weeks. The panel is expected to announce its ruling later, possibly before the summer.
Several scenarios are possible, ranging from acquittal to another conviction that could bar her from running in 2027. If convicted again, she could also face harsher penalties – up to 10 years in prison and a €1 million fine.
In March, Le Pen and other party officials were convicted of violating EU rules between 2004 and 2016 by using funds intended for EU parliamentary aides performing other duties. The court said some did work in French domestic politics for the party then known as the Front National.
In handing down the sentence, the judge said Le Pen was at the heart of a “system” designed to siphon funds from the EU parliament, including paying for her bodyguards and chief of staff.
All defendants have denied wrongdoing, and Le Pen has argued that the money was used in a legal manner. The judge said that Le Pen and others were not seeking personal gain for themselves.
The legal action originally stemmed from an alert to French authorities in 2015 by then-President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.
The case and its aftermath have serious implications for Le Pen’s political future, after more than a decade of attempts to bring the far right into the mainstream of French politics. Since taking over the party from her late father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, she has sought to shed its reputation for racism and anti-Semitism, changing the party’s name, ousting her father in 2015 and softening the party’s platform and her own public image.
This strategy has paid off. The National Rally is now the largest single political group in the French lower house of parliament and has developed an extensive network of elected officials across the country.
The national rally is known for its anti-immigration, nationalist stance and its rhetoric that often targets Muslims. Le Pen and other party members have also long criticized the EU and its rules and campaigned for more national sovereignty, even while serving in the EU parliament.
Le Pen resigned as party chairman in 2021 to focus on the national presidential campaign, handing the post to 30-year-old Jordan Bardella.
If Le Pen ultimately fails to run in 2027, Bardera is widely expected to be her successor. His popularity has surged, especially among younger voters, even as some in the party question his leadership.
Bardella said in a New Year’s address on Monday that Le Pen’s potential conviction would be “deeply worrying for (French) democracy.”