Le Pen de France expects the verdict in the trial of embezzlement

The political future of the leader of the National Assembly of the extreme right of France, Marine Le Pen, hangs in the balance with the judges in Paris who issue their verdict in a trial with embezzlement of funds on Monday.

If it is declared guilty, Le Pen could face a fine of 300,000 euros ($ 325,000), prison term and an immediate prohibition of five years from public office, which would prevent him from running in the presidential elections of 2027.

This result would throw the powerful right of France in disorder at a time when Le Pen leads opinion surveys before the next presidential vote.

Le Pen and another 24 members of their political party, Rassemblement National, are accused of diverting more than 3 million euros ($ 3.3 million) of funds from the European Parliament to pay the personnel based in France.

Le Pen and his coacked denied the charges, while the party describes the trial as a politically motivated witch hunt.

State prosecutors have requested that Le Pen in front of an immediate prohibition of five years from public office if it is declared guilty, using a call of “provisional execution” that will ignore any appeal process, Reuters reported. However, he pointed out that judges can adopt, modify or ignore the requests of prosecutors.

It is widely expected that you have an appeal against the conviction if you are guilty.

Before the verdict, Le Pen said he hoped that the judges in the Criminal Court of Paris showed clemency.

“I am waiting for the decision” Le Pen said in an interview with the Dimanche TribunePublished on Saturday and translated by Google.

“I read here and there we are nervous. Personally, I am not, but I understand that people could be: with provisional execution, the judges have the power of life or death about our movement. But I don’t think they get so far,” he added.

Le Pen’s trial has thrown a shadow on a strong rebirth for the national demonstration in recent years; The party won the first round of a parliamentary election Last summer before the country’s left alliance He won the second round.

France was plunged into political chaos last year after Macron Called SNAP choice After suffering a strong defeat in the EU elections. Then, the president appointed the centrist Michel Barnier to direct a minority conservative government, but this turned out to be of short duration since the government finally failed to obtain support from the left and the right for its 2025 budget plans.

The new centrist government under Franco Bayrou has managed to approve the budget, after making concessions on the left, but remains vulnerable to the political pressure of both the left and the right.