French court to rule on July 7 in Marine Le Pen graft appeal trial

By Paul Aubriat
Paris, France (AFP) Feb 11, 2026
A Paris appeals court said Wednesday it will rule on July 7 in a fraud case against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, in what is expected to be a pivotal moment for French politics.

A lower court last year handed the veteran 57-year-old politician a five-year ban from public office over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament, dashing her presidential ambitions.

If the appeals court upholds last year's bombshell ruling, the three-time presidential candidate would be banned from running in 2027, widely seen as her best chance at the top job.

At the end of Wednesday's proceedings, the court's president said it will hand down the ruling on July 7 in the early afternoon.

"The sooner, the better, I feel," Le Pen told reporters after the hearing.

Prosecutors last week demanded the court maintain a five-year ban and sought a four-year prison term with three years suspended for Le Pen in the case against her and other members of her anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party.

Le Pen had hoped her appeal against her ban over the fake jobs scam -- an accusation she has denied -- would clear the way for her to run in the election after Emmanuel Macron stands down.

But during closing arguments lasting nearly six hours, attorney general Stephane Madoz-Blanchet told the court that Le Pen was the "instigator" of a scheme that "enabled the party to embezzle 1.4 million euros" ($1.6 million).

The first trial found Le Pen, along with 24 former European lawmakers, assistants and accountants as well as the party itself, guilty of operating a system from 2004 to 2016 to use European parliament funds to employ RN staff in France.

Le Pen, the RN and 11 others are appealing the March 2025 ruling, which also sentenced her to four years in jail, with two suspended.

-Presidential bid at stake-

Le Pen made it to the second round in the 2017 and 2022 presidential polls, losing to President Emmanuel Macron both times. But he cannot run again next year after hitting the limit of two consecutive terms in office.

During the appeal trial, she denied that the RN had any system to embezzle European Parliament funds and has said her party acted in "complete good faith".

Le Pen has said she will decide whether to run for president after the ruling in the appeal trial, and has suggested that her lieutenant, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, who heads the RN, could stand instead.

She has indicated she would not await a verdict from France's top court before making that decision, should she challenge the July appeals court ruling.

A poll in November predicted that, should he run, Bardella would win the second round of the 2027 elections, no matter who stands against him.