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Far-right politician Marine Le Pen is guilty in an embezzlement case, a French court confirmed this morning.
French outlet RTL has announced Le Pen is set to face two years in prison, and two-years in house-arrest, as well as a ban on her running for future presidential elections.
France24 had earlier said Le Pen and 24 other officials from her party, National Rally, face accusations of embezzlement.
They allegedly used money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to pay staff who worked for the party between 2004-2016.
This violates the European Union’s regulations.
Le Pen denied the claims against her, as well as other members of the party
The French news outlet said Le Pen has been denying wrongdoing throughout the trial, claiming she did not commit the “slightest irregularity, the slightest illegal move.”
But the court hearings said evidence showed that the money from the EU fund was used to pay for Le Pen’s bodyguard.
Prosecutors had been calling for a two-year prison sentence for Le Pen in addition to five years of ineligibility for presidential elections.
Le Pen succeeded her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, as the leader of the far-right National Rally Party in 2011. She was the party’s leader until 2021.
She ran as the party’s candidate for the 2022 presidential elections. She was also a candidate in 2012 and 2017.
