Court of Appeal confirms guilty verdict against Marine Le Pen in EU assistants case

Paris – 07.07.2026: The appeals chamber of the Paris court has confirmed the guilty verdict against Marine Le Pen in the affair over allegedly wrongly charged assistants paid through the European Parliament and at the same time recalibrated certain elements of the punishment. According to the court, the question of guilt remained, while parts of the sentence — including probation components and the period of ineligibility — were reduced compared with the first instance. The former leader of the Rassemblement National (RN) had already been convicted in the first instance because staff were alleged to have been listed as parliamentary assistants in Brussels while they mainly carried out party tasks in France.

Le Pen’s lawyer said after the announcement that he was ‘partly satisfied’ and pointed out that the written reasoning would be examined intensively before a possible step to the Court of Cassation would be decided. The defense continues to consider in particular the extent of the parliamentary activity of the affected staff and questions of jurisdiction between the French judiciary and EU institutions to be contentious. From the party’s circle it was said that no hasty conclusions would be drawn and that the exact components of the decision would first be evaluated.

Politically attention turns to the consequences for the 2027 presidential election. A judicial ineligibility could — depending on the exact duration and crediting of probation components — limit Le Pen’s room for manoeuvre. Observers point out that formal deadlines and any appeals to the Court of Cassation could still delay the entry into force of certain sanctions. At the same time, strategic questions arise for the RN: Party leader Jordan Bardella has emerged in recent months as a defining figure, without openly challenging Le Pen’s claim to leadership. How the party adjusts its personnel line-up for 2027 also depends on whether the appellate courts uphold the now-confirmed guilty verdict on key points.

The EU assistants case has occupied politics and the judiciary for years. European bodies had announced clawbacks after internal audits indicated that invoices had been submitted for activities that were not attributable to work in the European Parliament. Several former officials of the Front National, including confidants from Le Pen’s circle, were involved in the proceedings. The public debate since then has concerned not only criminal law questions but also the distinction between party work and the exercise of a parliamentary mandate — a topic that has repeatedly led to conflicts between national law, parliamentary rules and political practice.

For the further procedure, it is crucial when the written judgment is served and whether the defense appeals to the Court of Cassation within the prescribed period. Such a step would not re-examine the facts but would assess the application of law by the appellate court. Until then, internal party scenarios remain open. The RN announced that it would adapt its electoral strategy to the legal framework and continue the organizational work for upcoming election dates.