Paris Court Opens Marine Le Pen Appeal in EU Aide Funds Case

Overview

• The Paris Court of Appeal opened hearings on January 13 as Marine Le Pen challenged her 2025 conviction over the use of EU-funded parliamentary assistants.
• Le Pen attended the opening session and said she hoped to be heard by the judges and was optimistic about the proceedings.
• Hearings are expected to run for about a month, with sessions scheduled through February 12, and the court has indicated it plans to issue a ruling by summer 2026.
• Until any successful appeal, Le Pen remains under a five-year prohibition on holding elected office that prevents her from running for president in 2027.
• The first-instance court on March 31, 2025 found assistants funded by the European Parliament were used for party tasks, sentenced Le Pen to four years (two under electronic monitoring, two suspended), and 11 of 25 co-defendants are also appealing, including Louis Aliot, Julien Odoul and Nicolas Bay.