Prosecutor Seeks Imprisonment and Political Ban for Le Pen

The public prosecutor in Paris has requested a five-year prison term and a five-year prohibition from holding political office for far-right figure Marine Le Pen, stemming from a case involving illicit party financing. Nicolas Barret specified that he sought the ban to take effect without delay following the verdict, irrespective of any appeals lodged by the defense, which would preclude Le Pen from running for president in 2027. Le Pen, along with over 20 other high-ranking party officials, faces accusations of employing assistants who were engaged in party activities instead of working for the European Parliament, which provided their salaries. Le Pen, who refutes the allegations, informed journalists that the proposed sentence constituted an “outrage” and alleged that the prosecution was attempting to “ruin” her National Rally (RN) party. “I think the prosecution’s wish is to deprive the French people of the ability to vote for whom they want,” she stated following the court session in the French capital, where she is among 25 defendants on trial. In the most recent presidential election in 2022, Le Pen was defeated by Emmanuel Macron, receiving 41.45% of the vote compared to his 58.55%, yet the RN holds the largest number of seats among the many parties in the National Assembly. In addition to the requested prison term and political office ban, a monetary penalty of €300,000 (£249,000; $319,000) is also being pursued against the leader of the RN. The suggested custodial sentence is described as “convertible,” and the French news agency AFP indicates that Le Pen “would not necessarily go to prison.” Nevertheless, the prohibition from holding political office would be implemented immediately and would not be postponed by any appeal proceedings, contrary to what some had anticipated. The prosecutor requested that the ban be extended to all 25 defendants. “The law applies to all,” Mr Barret stated to the court. The defendants, along with the party itself as a legal entity, stand accused of diverting European Union parliamentary funds to cover the wages of party employees. As per the prosecution’s argument, Le Pen oversaw a scheme for multiple years where RN personnel based in Paris were “taken on” as European Union parliamentary assistants in Brussels. It is being contended in court that these RN officials seldom visited the EU parliament and performed no duties within it. Le Pen has asserted that parliamentary assistants, whose salaries were covered by the Brussels assembly, were inherently engaged in politics, as this was their initial motivation for seeking such positions. Jordan Bardella, the chairman of the RN, who is not implicated as a defendant in this case, characterized the prosecution’s requests as an “assault on democracy” in a statement posted on X. “The prosecution is not acting justly,” he stated. “It is seeking to persecute and take revenge on Marine Le Pen.” Patrick Maisonneuve, a legal representative for the European Parliament, expressed no surprise regarding the proposed sentence. “There is a consistency in the prosecution’s demands,” Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. The proceedings are scheduled to resume until November 27.