Le Pen convicted of EU money abuse: Protests planned in France!

Le Pen convicted of EU money abuse: Protests planned in France!

Marine Le Pen, the boss of the breed emblem National (marginal), was guilty of a court in Paris on April 4, 2025 for embezzlement of EU funds. The judgment provides for a total of four years in prison, two years on probation and two years with electronic ankle feters. In addition, she has to pay a fine of 100,000 euros. However, the punishments were suspended until the appeal procedure has been completed. Le Pen, who is considered a promising candidate for the presidential election in 2027, was also excluded from participation in elections for five years, whereby this part of the judgment immediately came into force. She plans to act against the ban on candidacy and sees herself as a victim of a political attack.

The condemnation of Le Pen refers to the apparent employment of employees in the European Parliament. Richter decided that she illegally used four EU parliamentary assistants for non-corresponding tasks such as personal protection or personal assistance. This violates EU regulations, and the assistants had signed "fictional contracts". In addition to Le Pen, eight other former EU members of their party and twelve EU parliamentary assistants were also convicted. The process dragged on for over ten years and goes back to investigations that were initiated due to the systematic embezzlement of public funds.
[Tagesschau] reports that Le Pen speaks to the judgment of a "democratic scandal" and rejects the presentation of the judges as politically motivated

protests and political reactions

The party racial nationally calls for protests in Paris and other cities for the coming Sunday. Under the motto "Save democracy", citizens are to be mobilized to demonstrate against the judgment. The RN party leader Jordan Bardella has rejected the characterization of the protests as a "demonstration of power" and emphasizes the legitimate interests of the citizens. This communication strategy aims to assume the political motivation behind the judgment.

Political scientist Luc Rouban expresses concerns about the long -term consequences for the RN, since the party itself has to respect norms in order to be perceived as a normal political force. Surveys show that the majority of the French consider the judgment to be justified, which illustrates the challenges for Le Pens Presidential Project 2027. The prosecutor's prosecutor originally called for a five -year sentence, together with an immediate election ban.

Although Le Pen is expected to appeal against the judgment, she remains in office for the time being and can continue to sit as a member of parliament. The Paris Court of Appeal plans to conclude the case before the presidential election 2027 to summer 2026. These developments throw a shadow on le pens political ambitions for the future.
[Kleine Zeitung] reports on the protests and the division within French politics, which is further fueled by this judicial decision.