PARIS, 15th November, 2024 (WAM) -- A Paris prosecutor has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial in which she and 24 others are accused of embezzling EU funds.
The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her National Rally (RN) party’s efforts to polish its image before the 2027 presidential election, which many believe she could win.
On Wednesday, the Paris prosecutor requested a €300,000 (£249,439) fine, five years in prison and an ineligibility sentence against Le Pen, with provisional execution – meaning the ban on running for public office would take immediate effect.
If the court finds her guilty of the charges with this provisional execution, Le Pen will not be able to run in elections even if she appeals against the judgment.
The trial runs until 27th November, after which the judges will retire to consider their verdict and consider what sentence to hand down, taking into account the prosecutor’s requests. The verdict is likely to be announced in early 2025.