Marine Le Pen: prison sentence after embezzling billions of euros from the EU!

Marine Le Pen: prison sentence after embezzling billions of euros from the EU!

Marine Le Pen, the former leader of the right-wing populist party Rassemblement National (RN), was convicted of breach of trust on April 1, 2025. Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis found that Le Pen had embezzled over four million euros in EU funds. The verdict stipulates a four-year prison sentence, of which two years must be served on probation and two years under house arrest. In addition to her prison sentence, she was fined €100,000 and barred from holding public office.

Le Pen plans to appeal the ruling, calling it politically motivated. Party leader Jordan Bardella has already called for nationwide protests and is calling on the French to show outrage. He criticizes the verdict as unfair and mobilizes supporters for the protests. Rémy Heitz, the prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, however, defended the decision as a legal measure, while the presiding judge is now under police protection due to threats. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou also expressed skepticism about immediately enforcing Le Pen's exclusion from the upcoming elections and called for the possibility of an appeal.

Consequences for the political future

The verdict against Le Pen has already had far-reaching consequences. She was excluded from the 2027 presidential election and has announced that she sees no chance of taking part in the election. Le Pen claims she is innocent and sees the verdict as a threat to democracy. Your political opponents are using the opportunity to reinforce their point of view. Éric Ciotti, a conservative lawmaker, has called the verdict an “unworthy judicial conspiracy,” while Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the left-wing populist party La France insoumise has called for a referendum on his removal.

The attention the ruling received was enormous – both in France and across Europe. Supporters such as Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán show solidarity with Le Pen. They describe the verdict as political persecution. Geert Wilders, a Dutch right-wing populist, also expressed shock at the verdict.

International reactions and the history of the RN

Reactions to the ruling extend beyond France's borders. The Kremlin also commented on the proceedings; Spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized the violation of democratic norms in Europe, but described the verdict as an internal matter for France. The social and political environment in which Le Pen operates is deeply rooted in a history of strategic alliances with Russia. Her party has historically close ties to Russia, dating back to her father Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Under Le Pen, the RN has pursued pro-Russian positions and received significant financial support from Russia in a 2017 election campaign. Connections were positioned between the French extreme right and Russia, which have both cultural and political similarities. The Conversation reports that such alliances are deeply rooted in the RN's history, starting with critical financial transactions and strategic partnerships.

Given the pressure and backlash, Le Pen may find it difficult to assert her political ideals, particularly at a time when the influence of widespread pro-Russian sentiment in Europe is waning and the focus is on more unified EU policies. The future and influence of the RN in French politics therefore remains uncertain given current developments.

In summary, it should be noted that the verdict against Marine Le Pen could have a lasting impact not only on her political career, but also on the dynamics of right-wing populism in Europe. crown informed about the entire environment and developments during South Germans illuminated the broad reactions to the verdict.