Appeal verdict on FN parliamentary assistants: Paris court confirms convictions, some sentences reduced

Paris – 07.07.2026: Die Cour d’appel de Paris hat am Dienstag im Berufungsverfahren zur Affäre um parlamentarische Assistenten des früheren Front national (heute Rassemblement national, RN) die meisten erstinstanzlichen Schuldsprüche bestätigt und mehrere Strafen reduziert. Im Kern sah das Gericht den Missbrauch von EU‑Mitteln weiterhin als erwiesen an: Assistenten seien formal für Europaabgeordnete tätig gewesen, hätten tatsächlich jedoch überwiegend Parteiarbeit für den FN verrichtet.

The proceedings concern payments from the European Parliament’s budget in substantial amounts, which the judiciary considered to have been used for improper purposes. In the first instance, in March 2025, several leading figures were given prison and monetary sentences as well as time-limited disqualification penalties (inéligibilité). The appeals chamber has now confirmed convictions against eleven defendants, including prominent RN representatives. Marine Le Pen was also found guilty; parts of her sentence were milder compared with the first-instance judgment. For other defendants such as Bruno Gollnisch and Louis Aliot, prison sentences were largely suspended and fines were adjusted.

Politically significant are the imposed disqualification penalties: they can determine whether those affected are allowed to stand in future votes or elections. Observers point out that the exact duration of these sanctions could be decisive for the RN’s strategic positioning ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The court largely followed the line of the prosecution, which in the appeal had requested partly lower sanctions than in the first instance and in particular modified enforcement modalities.

From the circle of the convicted it was said that the written statement of reasons would be examined carefully and that possible further legal remedies would be considered. In France, following an appeal judgment the route to the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) is generally still open, although that court only reviews matters of law. For the RN the judgment does not yet constitute a legal finality, but it increases pressure to clearly document internal procedures and the separation between party work and parliamentary activities.

The case of the FN assistants has engaged politics and the judiciary for years. During the investigations, documents from the European Parliament and employment contracts were reviewed and former staff members were questioned. Lawyers view the now-confirmed convictions as a signal for stricter control over the use of public funds in the political sphere. At the same time, they emphasize that individual sentences are differentiated and that the personal responsibility of the defendants was assessed differently depending on role and period.