French Authorities Push to Keep Marine Le Pen Barred from Holding Office

(MENAFN) French prosecutors asked an appeals court on Tuesday to uphold a five-year ban on far-right leader Marine Le Pen from holding public office, related to a scandal in which she and her National Rally (RN) party were found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France, according to reports.

They did not request the immediate enforcement of the sentence concerning the misuse of EU Parliament funds.

"We are going to ask you to largely uphold the criminal liability established in the initial trial, and ineligibility sentences will of course be sought," Prosecutor Thierry Ramonatxo told a Paris court.

In the first ruling in March of last year, Le Pen received a four-year prison sentence, with two years served under house arrest with an electronic tag, was fined €100,000 ($118,229), and was banned from holding public office for five years, effective immediately.

Prosecutors accused her of orchestrating a scheme between 2004 and 2016 that used European Parliament funds totaling €4 million ($4.3 million) to pay National Rally party staff. If the appeal upholds the conviction, Le Pen would be barred from running for the presidency in 2027.

During the appeal trial, which began in mid-January, Le Pen denied that her party had any "system" to misappropriate European Parliament funds, asserting that the party acted in "complete good faith."

The appeal proceedings are scheduled to conclude later this month, with a verdict expected in the summer.

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