Le Pen makes no comment as she leaves party HQ with her political career in jeopardy

Record ID: 1987199

  • Title: Le Pen makes no comment as she leaves party HQ with her political career in jeopardy
  • Date: 31st March 2025
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (MARCH 31, 2025) (ANI- No use India) (MUTE) DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER CASPAR VELDKAMP SHAKING HANDS WITH HIS INDIAN COUNTERPART SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR/ VELDKAMP AND JAISHANKAR POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS NEW DELHI, INDIA (APRIL 01, 2025) (ANI- No use India) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUTCH FOREIGN MINISTER, CASPAR VELDKAMP, SAYING: "We still have to work out exactly a
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: LE PEN NATIONAL RALLY HEADQUARTERS
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • City: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Europe,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001310631032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:French far-right party leader Marine Le Pen left her political party headquarters on Monday(March 31) after a court found her guilty of embezzlement.
    The sentence stops her from running in the 2027 presidential race unless she successfully appeals beforehand.
    It marks a catastrophic setback for Le Pen, the National Rally (RN) party chief and a front-runner in opinion polls for the 2027 contest.
    Le Pen, the RN and two dozen party figures were accused of diverting more than $4 million of European Parliament funds to pay France-based staff.
    They had argued the money was used legitimately.
    Issuing the guilty verdict, the judge said Le Pen had been "at the heart" of the scheme.
    The defendants were not accused of pocketing the money, but rather of using the funds to benefit their party.
    The judge said investigations in the case showed not administrative errors, but embezzlement within a system framework put in place to reduce the party's costs.
    The judges also gave Le Pen a four-year prison sentence, of which two years are a suspended sentence and two which will be served under home detention, and a 100,000 dollar fine.
    She is almost certain to appeal, and neither of those penalties would be applied until her appeals are exhausted.
    Her removal from the race is likely to intensify a debate in France over how judges police politics.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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