Source: NBC News
“Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right party, was handed a four-year prison sentence and banned from holding public office for five years by a French court Monday …. Le Pen had looked like the likeliest winner in France’s next presidential election set for 2027, but she was found guilty Monday by a court of embezzling European Union funds. When handing down its sentence, the court said the crimes committed by Le Pen, 56, warranted an immediate ban from public office, Reuters reported. While Le Pen may yet successfully appeal the sentence — it will not be applied until she has exhausted all avenues of appeal — the four-year sentence, two years of it suspended, and the ban on seeking public office until the end of the decade will come as a massive blow to the French far right and may spell the end of her political career.” (03/31/25)