A Paris appeals court is set to deliver a ruling on Tuesday in Marine Le Pen’s long-running case over the misuse of European Parliament funds. The verdict could shape the French presidential race in 2027.

Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of using money intended for parliamentary assistants to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016.

The lower court handed her a prison sentence suspended pending appeal and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office, a penalty that would block her from the 2027 presidential contest unless it were overturned or softened.

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Hanging by a judicial thread

The case has become a direct test of whether one of France’s most prominent far-right politicians can remain in contention for the presidency.

The appeals court could clear Le Pen, uphold the conviction, or reduce the political ban to two years or less, which would expire before the first round of the election scheduled for April 18, 2027.

If the five-year ban is confirmed, Le Pen would be ruled out of the race, and her longtime protégé Jordan Bardella, 30, could become the National Rally’s candidate instead.

If the court leaves the sentence in place, Le Pen could still turn to France’s Court of Cassation, although that route would add more uncertainty to her campaign timetable.

A plea wrapped in political stakes

During the appeal hearing, Le Pen did not fully retreat from her defense but did adopt a softer tone than in the first trial. She told the court, “If any offense was committed, I want the court to understand that we had absolutely no sense of doing anything wrong whatsoever.”

She had earlier acknowledged “a mistake” while maintaining that some of the aides paid through European Parliament funds were in fact doing work for her party, then known as the National Front.

She believed the arrangement was allowed. Her lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, told the three-judge panel that his client was entrusting the court with “the work of her life,” underscoring how much the verdict could define her political future.

A decision that may redraw the contest

The appeals court’s decision will come against the backdrop of a compressed electoral calendar. France’s first round of the presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a runoff on May 2.

Le Pen has said she would not launch a campaign if judicial restrictions made it impossible to travel and hold rallies freely. In an interview, she said, “I can’t be dependent on a judge to authorize me to go hold a campaign rally … or to visit a market.”

If the ban is upheld, softened, or overturned, the ruling will immediately clarify whether Le Pen remains France’s strongest far-right contender or whether the National Rally must quickly pivot to another standard-bearer.

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FAQs

Q1: Why is Marine Le Pen’s appeal important?

Ans: Marine Le Pen’s appeal will determine whether she can contest France’s 2027 presidential election or remain barred from holding elected office.

Q2: When will the court rule on Marine Le Pen’s appeal?

Ans: The Paris appeals court is expected to deliver its verdict on July 7, 2026.