Le Pen convicted
The court in Paris found Marine Le Pen, president of the RN faction in the European Parliament, guilty of the fictional hiring of assistants of her party's deputies. The politician was immediately banned from moving for public office for 5 years. In addition, she was sentenced to 4 years in prison, of which 2 years are suspended, and this punishment does not enter into force immediately. In addition, a fine of EUR 100 000 was imposed on it.
A five-year ban on moving for public office prevents Le Pen from starting in the 2027 presidential election, unless a higher judicial authority issues a favorable judgment. Proceedings in higher courts in France may take respective months to respective years.
Morawiecki accuses 8 MEPs
Former Prime Minister of Poland and leader of European Conservatives and Reformists in the EP Mateusz Morawiecki, assessed the decision of the court in the Le Pen case as beneficial to Russia, which can usage it to undermine democratic procedures in Europe and to share and polarize societies. Morawiecki noted that Russia was utilizing akin methods as in Romania, where courts arrested the chief presidential candidate before the election, and had previously annulled the voting results in which Calin Georgescu won the first round.
Morawiecki assessed that the conviction would weaken democracy in France, being an effort at revenge by liberal elites who wanted to exclude Le Pen from the election. He pointed out that the ban on moving is an effort to deprive citizens of their right to choose. He added that akin actions took place in Poland in 2023, erstwhile EU institutions and abroad organisations supported the opposition, and in the case of Donald Trump, whose run ended in victory.
The court in Paris found 8 FN MPs, co-defendant with Le Pen, guilty of embezzlement. They were besides tried by erstwhile assistants in the EP, who were found guilty of hiding embezzled funds.
Other leaders on the situation
U.S. president Donald Trump estimated Convicting Marine Le Pen is simply a very large deal..
Trump stated that the exclusion of Le Pen from the election reminded him of his own legal problems in the US. Earlier, the State Department spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, recalled the February speech of Vice president J.D. Vance in Munich, where he defended freedom of speech and opposed the exclusion of people from the political process.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, commenting on the judgement given by the Paris Court in the Marine Le Pen case, stated:
I do not know the meritum of charges against Marine Le Pen nor the reasons for specified a serious decision, but I think that no 1 who has democracy in his heart can enjoy the conviction that strikes the leader of the large organization and takes the representation of millions of citizens.
