The Paris Court of Appeal announced it will deliver its ruling on July 7, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in the appeal trial of Marine Le Pen and the Rassemblement National (RN) for embezzlement of public funds. This date is pivotal for the RN leader's political future, as she stated she will decide on her 2027 presidential candidacy based on the verdict. If deemed ineligible, Jordan Bardella would be the party's candidate.
The appeal trial concerns the case of European parliamentary assistants for the Front National (now RN), accused of employing assistants paid by European funds between 2004 and 2016 but primarily working for the party. According to the prosecutors, Marine Le Pen played a central role as organizer, signing contracts and instigating a system that allegedly embezzled 1.4 million euros. The public prosecutors requested four years in prison, including one year firm, five years of ineligibility, and a 100,000 euro fine against her, along with similar penalties for the other eleven defendants and the RN as a legal entity.
In the first instance, on March 31, 2025, Marine Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison including two firm and five years of ineligibility with immediate enforcement, currently barring her from running for president. During the hearings, which lasted four weeks and concluded on February 11, 2026, her lawyers, Me Rodolphe Bosselut and Me Sandra Chirac-Kollarik, argued for her acquittal, stating she was in 'total good faith' and that there were 'gray areas' tolerated by the European Parliament's rules, with no alerts raised. Me Bosselut highlighted the political timeline: 'You thus have the obligation to take into account a national political calendar, which makes the ruling you will deliver vertiginous.'
Upon leaving the hearing, Marine Le Pen told journalists: 'The earlier [the decision], the better I felt,' while expressing relief that the court was taking time to analyze legal issues. She noted that a cassation appeal would not be resolved until early 2027, too late for a campaign. To be eligible, her ineligibility must not exceed two years from the first-instance judgment. The July 7 verdict will thus mark either the end of her political career after decades or an opportunity for her fourth run at the Élysée.
