Summary
A French court found far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling over €3 million in EU funds, potentially ending her 2027 presidential bid.
The judge ruled Le Pen and 24 others misused European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay National Rally party staff, calling it a deliberate scheme, not an error.
Prosecutors had sought five years’ prison and a public office ban. Even with an appeal, a provisional execution could bar her candidacy.
The original conservatives were in De Gaulle’s party, which was ferociously anti-nazi.
Although, naturally, as a conservative party they’re now talking about immigration, restricting liberties and the like…
Still a far cry from what Le Pen is up to.