Le Pen appeal trial opens with French presidential bid at stake

She again risks the maximum sentence — 10 years in prison and $1.16m fine — if the appeal fails

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The appeal trial of Marine Le Pen opened on Tuesday, with the French far-right leader hoping to overturn a graft conviction and save her 2027 run for president.

The appeal comes after a French court last year barred her from running for office for five years over a European Parliament fake jobs scam involving her and other officials from her National Rally party.

The three-time presidential candidate was also handed a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and fined 100,000 euros ($116,000). Le Pen, who has always maintained her innocence, entered the packed courtroom on Tuesday afternoon flanked by two lawyers, in the hopes of clearing the way for a fourth bid to become president.

The 57-year-old appeared in the dock dressed in a pink shirt and blue jacket to confirm her identity.

If the court upholds the first ruling, Le Pen will be barred from running in the 2027 election, widely seen as her best —and possibly last — chance to win the country’s top job. She again risks the maximum sentence —10 years in prison and a one-million-euro ($1.16 million) fine — if the appeal fails.