“Verdict in fraud case involving Le Pen to be announced in March 2025 A French court will announce its decision in the case of Marine Le Pen on the misuse of EU funds on March 31, 2025. The prosecutor’s office demands that she be banned from public office for 5 years.”, — write on: unn.ua
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It is noted that the prosecutor’s office is demanding that Le Pen be banned from holding public office for a period of five years, which could prevent her from participating in the 2027 presidential election. Her lawyer called it “an attack on democracy”.
Marine Le Pen, her party, then called the National Front, as well as former deputies and parliamentary assistants are accused of using funds intended for work in the European Parliament to pay employees who actually performed tasks for the party.
Le Pen and her co-accused deny the charges, arguing that the use of these funds was legal and consistent with a broader understanding of the duties of a parliamentary assistant.
During the last day of the trial, Le Pen’s lawyer, Rudolph Bossel, called the prosecutor’s request for an immediate ban on holding office “a weapon of mass destruction against democracy.” He emphasized that this issue concerns not only Marine Le Pen, but also the 13 million voters who supported her in the previous elections.
Le Pen, who lost to Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections, is currently considered the main contender for the 2027 election.
In the event of a conviction, the court may decide not to impose a ban on public office immediately, leaving her with a chance to run for office.
Le Pen later told reporters that after the end of the trial, she hopes that the judges will be convinced by the arguments of the defense. She also stressed that the trial does not affect her position on the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who her party has threatened to vote of no confidence in over the 2025 budget.
We will remind
The conviction of Marine Le Pen could deprive her of the right to run in the presidential elections of 2027 and affect the support of the National Union.