Crucially for her presidential ambitions, it reduced her ban on holding elected office. From five years handed down in March 2025, the ban was cut to 45 months, two-thirds of which are suspended. Because Le Pen has already served 15 months of the ban since last year\u2019s first verdict, that potential obstacle to what would be her fourth presidential run is now effectively removed.<\/p>\n
\t The verdict also cut her prison sentence. It was four years, two of which were suspended, last year. Now it\u2019s three years, two of which are suspended.<\/p>\n Still, the remaining year of prison time, to be served at home with an electronic bracelet, remains a potential hurdle, and it\u2019s not immediately clear whether Le Pen feels she can campaign with that condition.<\/p>\n Le Pen, 57, left the courtroom without addressing waiting television cameras. But she\u2019s expected to share her thoughts later Tuesday, in an evening television interview.<\/p>\n Before the verdict, Le Pen had said that if the court imposes constraints that make campaigning difficult, she might decide not to run. That could include electronic monitoring, she had said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn\u2019t be possible,\u201d Le Pen said in an interview last week.<\/p>\n If she decides that she cannot run with a bracelet, her protege Jordan Bardella would replace her. Bardella, 30, is the current president of the anti-immigration National Rally party that Le Pen previously led.<\/p>\n \t From the courthouse, Le Pen went to the National Rally\u2019s headquarters in Paris, where Bardella was seen earlier in the day. The party faces a potentially difficult decision in choosing which of the two might be best placed to run in 2027.<\/p>\n Bardella, a European Parliament lawmaker, lacks Le Pen\u2019s experience, and it would be his first presidential election campaign. But while Le Pen is a seasoned veteran, the bracelet makes it uncertain how effectively she could campaign. That and her embezzlement conviction would also leave her open to criticism from her potential election opponents.<\/p>\n Chief judge Mich\u00e8le Agi said in her verdict Tuesday that Le Pen\u2019s party embezzled 2.8 million euros ($3.2 million) by using European Parliament funds to pay its own party employees.<\/p>\n \u201cThe facts are serious,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n The judge had been expected to spend several hours reading out the full verdict. But instead, the proceedings were over surprisingly quickly, in well under an hour.<\/p>\n The courtroom, without air conditioning, became uncomfortably hot as the judge spoke, with temperatures in Paris climbing past 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). Table fans provided a slight breeze.<\/p>\n Prosecutors had asked the appeals court to sentence Le Pen to four years in prison, including three suspended, in addition to a ban on holding elected office for five years.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tFar-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at the courtroom for the verdict of her appeals trial, in Paris, France, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Michel Euler)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26185707911506-e1783435516747-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tFar-right party National Rally President Jordan Bardella speaks during a rally in Lievin, northern France, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo\/Jean-Francois Badias)<\/p>\n
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