Marine Le Pen Convicted of Embezzlement, Right-wing Threats Retaliation

Marine Le Pen Convicted of Embezzlement (Wikimedia Commons)

Marine Le Pen, the deputy and frontrunner of the populist, right-wing political party “le Rassemblement National” (RN), was found guilty of embezzling 4.8 million euros worth of EU funds in a French political court on March 31, according to the Guardian. 

The former presidential candidate in 2012, 2017, and 2022 now faces four years in prison, according to Britannica—with two years suspended and two under house arrest, as well as a fine of 100,000 euros. NPR reports that the verdict also bars her from running for president in 2027 and holding a federal position for the next five years.

Marine Le Pen was convicted of assisting the embezzlement of European Parliament funds from taxpayer money. The New York Times reports that these embezzled funds were used for the party’s expenses, including paying employees from 2004 to 2016. She was found guilty of embezzlement alongside eight European Parliament members part of the RN, the Guardian reports. The trial also revealed that 12 parliamentary assistants were found to be working under fictitious contracts. Marine Le Pen denied the verdict and stated that she will file an appeal, per The New York Times. She left court early before the full verdict was read.

“I have absolutely no sense of having committed the slightest irregularity, or the slightest illegal act,” Le Pen told the court, according to the Guardian. 

According to the BBC, the recent trial has sparked international support for Marine Le Pen among right-wing political leaders, including Hungary’s Prime Minister, Victor Orban; leader of the Dutch “Party for Freedom,” Geert Wilders; and Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini; as well as “X” owner and tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk, and U.S. President, Donald Trump. Le Pen and her supporters have rebuked the French court system, blaming the institution for preventing the right to elect party leaders of choice, reports the BBC.

In a post on X, Orban posted “Je suis Marine” (I am Marine). Wilders stated that he sees Marine Le Pen as the next president of France. 

Similarly, U.S. President Trump stated on his social media platform Truth Social, “The Witch Hunt against Marine Le Pen is another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent, this time going so far as to put that Opponent in prison.” He falsely stated that Marine Le Pen would be imprisoned—as stated above, the court ruled that Marine Le Pen will spend two years suspended and two under house arrest with a 100,000 euro fine.

Jordan Bardella, the president of the RN, has called on the party’s supporters to rally in support of Marine Le Pen. The RN also announced that a rally will be held on Sunday in Paris to protest the court ruling, according to the BBC. Bardella said in a press conference on Tuesday, “We'll take to the streets this weekend.” 

The wave of right-wing support for Marine Le Pen’s court ruling shows that there is a growing interest in France’s right-wing political agenda, especially heading into the 2027 federal election.