Court in France bars Le Pen from seeking public office for 5 yrs

A French court on Monday convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years — a hammer blow to the far-Right leader's presidential hopes and an earthquake for French politics.

- Associated Press

PARIS:

Le Pen's lawyer said she would appeal the verdict, but she will remain ineligible while she does and so could be ruled out of the 2027 presidential race. She was also sentenced to four years' imprisonment, with two to be served under house arrest and two suspended.

The court ruling was a political as well as a judicial temblor for France, hobbling one of the leading contenders to succeed President Emmanuel Macron at the end of his second and final term. So broad were the political implications that even some of Le Pen's opponents said the Paris court had gone too far.