French Court to Decide on Le Pen's Embezzlement Appeal on July 7

Le Pen's Legal Battle

By Juliette Jabkhiro

Background of the Case

PARIS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Marine Le Pen's lawyers told a Paris court on Wednesday that the far-right leader had no intention of committing an offence, as they concluded her appeal against an embezzlement conviction that will determine if she can run for president next year.

Implications for 2027 Election

The court said it will give its ruling on July 7.

Legal Arguments Presented

Le Pen, the longtime leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), was handed a five-year ban from running for public office last March after being convicted of misusing European Union funds.

She had been widely seen as a likely frontrunner in the 2027 race until she and others were found guilty of misappropriating more than 4 million euros ($4.7 million) in EU funds. Judges ruled that between 2004 and 2016 they used funds earmarked for work at the European Parliament to pay staff who were in fact working for the party.

Le Pen, who has denied the charges, hopes the ban will be overturned or reduced on appeal, allowing her to run in 2027. If she cannot, RN president Jordan Bardella is expected to run in her place.

Le Pen's lawyers, Sandra Chirac Kollarik and Rodolphe Bosselut, told the court that European Parliament rules were unclear and that Le Pen never intended to commit wrongdoing.

"If what she did then is an offence, she isn't aware of having committed one," Kollarik said.

During the appeal trial, Le Pen put some blame on her father, the late Jean-Marie Le Pen, saying that until 2014 he was the one really in charge of the far-right party, then known as the National Front. Known for his xenophobic, antisemitic and racist stance, he died last year aged 96.

Bosselut described his client as a woman who had sacrificed her life to politics. "She has carried her father’s name like a burden,” he said.

Last week, prosecutors confirmed they were seeking a five-year ban on running for public office for Le Pen, but they dropped an earlier demand that the ban apply regardless of any further appeal.

If the appeals court upholds her conviction and follows the prosecutors' recommendation, Le Pen could still take her case to France's highest court, the Cour de Cassation.

That court has said it would try to rule on any final appeal before the election. But any decision close to the vote, due in the spring of 2027, risks upending the party's presidential election strategy. 

(Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro. Editing by Mark Potter and Richard Lough)