A French court of appeal has confirmed that Marine Le Pen played a central role in orchestrating a scheme that systematically embezzled public funds for more than a decade.
The case, unprecedented in French political history, involved a fake jobs scam instigated in 2004 by the leadership of the National Front, now the National Rally.
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The party claimed EU salaries for staff supposedly working as MEPs' assistants at the European parliament. However, the money was funneled to France to support party activities.
Among those on the payroll as bogus assistants were Le Pen's bodyguard and longtime personal assistant. The deception continued for 11 years until 2016.
Twenty-eight defendants were brought to court, including Marine Le Pen and her late father Jean-Marie Le Pen.
The appeal court softened her initial sentence to three years of imprisonment, with two years suspended and the remaining year served by electronic monitoring.
She was fined €100,000 and declared ineligible for public office for 45 months, 30 of them suspended.
She has appealed to France's highest court, staying the tagging pending that decision.
Within hours of the ruling, Le Pen launched her campaign for the 2027 presidential election.
But the focus on whether she can run has eclipsed a necessary discussion about her legitimacy as a public representative.
According to the judges, the scam was carried out "under the decisive impetus" of Le Pen herself, having taken it over from her father.
