Far-right French politician Marine Le Pen has been sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, by an appeals court in Paris – potentially paving the way for her political heir, Jordan Bardella, to run for president.
The sentence means Ms Le Pen must wear an electronic ankle bracelet for one year and be restricted to her home for extended periods of time. Ms Le Pen was also fined €100,000 ($113,398) and the court confirmed her guilty verdict for embezzlement of public funds.
That leaves the decision over whether to run in next year's presidential election up to Ms Le Pen, who has been a candidate three times in the past. She has repeatedly ruled out running for the office with an ankle bracelet, saying last week that it would "not be possible". "When you are a presidential candidate, you must be completely free in your movements," she told TV station LCI.
Ms Le Pen is expected to clarify her position on national TV later on Tuesday.
Her lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, said: "We are considering the decision as a whole. We will deliberate this afternoon and issue a statement later regarding any potential next steps."
Ms Le Pen, who arrived at the court alongside her lawyer, waved to some allies and shook hands with others before the judges entered the courtroom.
Misuse of European funds
Ms Le Pen was convicted in March 2025 by first-instance judges, who gave her an election ban of five years and a four-year jail term, two of which were suspended. Her party was quick to react, with Mr Bardella, 30, criticising the “tyranny of judges".
Ms Le Pen tried to strike a more conciliatory tone in her appeal than during her first trial. She told judges that she and her party members had “no sense” they were crossing a red line. But she “formally” contested the suggestion she was at the heart of a system to embezzle the funds.
Ms Le Pen was found guilty of directly organising eight fictitious contracts worth about €474,000 ($542,000) while serving in the European Parliament. At the heart of the case was the question of whether aides were hired through “fake” contracts and worked to further the far-right party’s domestic agenda rather than focusing on European matters, as contractually required.
During the first trial, 25 people, as well as the party, were convicted. Not everyone appealed.
Agencies contributed to this report
