French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has announced her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election shortly after being instructed to wear an electronic monitoring device due to her conviction for embezzlement.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, the National Rally leader expressed her inability to campaign with the electronic tag, emphasizing her intention to use all legal means to prove her innocence in the matter.
Earlier the same day, a Paris court found Le Pen’s party guilty of embezzling €2.8m (£2.4m) over an 11-year period. Despite the verdict, the 57-year-old, who has run for president three times before, stated her plans to challenge the decision in France’s highest court, which would temporarily suspend the requirement for her to wear the monitoring device for a year.
The court’s decision to reduce a previous ban on Le Pen from seeking public office for five years paves the way for her to participate in future elections. Although she initially raised concerns about campaigning while wearing an electronic tag, she now believes she may not have to comply with the monitoring and is optimistic about the outcome of her appeal to the Cour de Cassation.
The Court of Cassation has indicated its ability to reach a verdict before the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for April.
The appeals court confirmed that Le Pen was responsible for the misappropriation of European Parliament funds by her party, which resulted in the payment of staff using money designated for European Union parliamentary assistants. While denying criminal intent, Le Pen acknowledged that mistakes were made by the party during the trial.
All 11 defendants, including Le Pen and other party members, were found guilty by the appeals court, with the party itself facing culpability in the case.
Despite upholding the guilty verdicts, the court reduced the penalties imposed by a lower court last year. The ban on seeking public office was decreased to 45 months, with two-thirds of it suspended, and Le Pen’s prison sentence was adjusted from four years (two of which were suspended) to three years with two suspended. With Le Pen having already served 15 months of the ban, the potential obstacle to her political aspirations has been significantly diminished.
