Le Pen criticises prosecutors for seeking a ‘political death sentence’

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she is facing a “political death sentence” in her embezzlement trial with prosecutors seeking an immediate five-year ban from public office, a punishment that would bar her from running in the 2027 presidential election.

Le Pen, her National Rally (RN) party, and 24 others—party officials, employees, ex-lawmakers, and parliamentary assistants—are accused of using EU funds to pay staff who worked for the party from 2004 to 2016, in violation of the bloc’s regulations. All those accused have denied the charges. The RN was then called the National Front.

French prosecutors last week asked a court in Paris to find Le Pen guilty of embezzlement, hand her a five-year prison sentence — three of which would be suspended — and fine her €300,000.

They also requested a five-year period of ineligibility to run for office, with a provisional execution. This rarely used tool means the ban would stand regardless of any appeal, preventing the three-time presidential candidate from running again in the 2027 election.

Le Pen told French radio station RTL on Wednesday evening that the trial was “politicised” and said the sentence sought by prosecutors had caused “real outrage”.

“The public prosecutor’s office has created a disturbance of the peace with its demands,” Le Pen said in an interview. She has previously said that prosecutors were “only interested” in preventing her from running for president in 2027. Recent public surveys by polling company Ifop suggest Le Pen would be a frontrunner in the election.

Prosecutors said the provisional execution had been sought because Le Pen and the other defendants had repeatedly tried to stall for time during the investigation. The ban would stop such offences being committed again, according to the prosecutors.

The trial is due to finish at the end of November, with a verdict expected early next year.

‘Totally innocent’

In the interview with RTL, Le Pen also issued a threat to French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s fragile minority government over its plans to push a pared-back budget through the legislature without a vote by the end of 2024.

The RN party says its cost-of-living concerns have not been taken into consideration in the budget, and Le Pen said its members could withdraw their support for Barnier’s coalition over the issue.

“We will not accept that the purchasing power of the French be once again hit,” she told RTL. “This is a red line and if it is crossed, we will vote no-confidence.”

Le Pen also defended her protégé and successor as leader of the RN, Jordan Bardella, after he said earlier this week that any candidate running for public office should not have a criminal conviction.

Bardella told BFM TV that Le Pen was “totally innocent” and would be cleared on appeal if convicted in the embezzlement trial.

Yet when asked whether Le Pen should be subjected to the principle that the RN should exclude any parliamentary candidate with a conviction, he said, “obviously,” before stating again that “Le Pen is innocent.”

When quizzed about it on Wednesday, Le Pen downplayed Bardella’s comments and said the pair have “a trusting relationship”.