The Court of Appeals in Paris has upheld the conviction of far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement, but shortened her disqualification from public office to fifteen months, ensuring it expires before the elections in April.

However, the court also sentenced her to one year of imprisonment to be served under electronic monitoring.

Le Pen declared she would run: "I am happy that the court has given the French people the freedom to choose."

On Tuesday afternoon, the Court of Appeals in Paris upheld the conviction of far-scale right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement.

The court reduced her sentence of disqualification from public office so that it will effectively last only fifteen months—a reduction meaning that, formally, she can run in next year's presidential elections.

Nevertheless, the court also imposed a one-year prison sentence to be served under house arrest with an electronic tag.

Le Pen had recently stated that if such a restriction were imposed, she would likely choose not to run for election, as it would require her to obtain special permissions to attend rallies and manage an effective campaign.

This evening, however, she expressed a different sentiment.

In an interview with French television, she expressed confidence that the verdict would change upon appeal and announced her intention to run in the elections.

"I am happy that the court has given the French people the freedom to choose.

I will appeal the decision, and I will run for president without an electronic tag," she said.

Le Pen, fifty-seven, has successfully transformed the "National Rally" party (formerly the "National Front") into France's largest political force, though it remains marginalized by the moderate right, the center, and the left.

She is considered the candidate with the best chance of reaching the Élysée Palace—a position the far right has managed to cultivate since World War Two.

However, these prospects suffered a severe blow in March 2025, when Le Pen and other party members were convicted in a corruption scandal.

In the case for which Le Pen and members of the "National Rally" were convicted, it was alleged that between 2004 and 2016, party members in Paris posed as parliamentary assistants within European Union institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg.

This allowed them to receive EU funds not intended for them while the party faced financial difficulties.

Le Pen herself was convicted of knowingly managing this scheme; the court sentenced her to two years of imprisonment under electronic monitoring, though the execution was stayed pending the appeal, alongside a five-year ban from holding public office—a penalty that has already entered into force.

Throughout her trial, Le Pen vigorously denied the allegations, claiming it was a political trial designed to prevent her from becoming president.

During the appeal proceedings, she admitted to making a "mistake," in her words, and confirmed to the court that some employees receiving salaries as EU parliamentary assistants did indeed perform work for her party.

However, she maintained in her defense that she believed such work was permitted and that she never attempted to hide it.

Le Pen also accused European Parliament officials of failing to warn her party in real-time that their hiring practices might violate certain laws.

Throughout the trial, Le Pen made it clear that she still hopes to run for the presidency next year—her fourth such attempt.

However, she emphasized that she would only do so if she could conduct a free and orderly campaign, without restrictions like an electronic tag or the need for special judicial permissions to attend rallies from house arrest.

As noted, the Court of Appeals delivered its ruling this afternoon, upholding her conviction for embezzlement of public funds but reducing her disqualification from public office to fifteen months of actual disqualification and thirty months of conditional disqualification.

Since the disqualification took effect last year, it will expire later this year, meaning she is theoretically able to run in next year's elections.

However, as mentioned, the court also sentenced her to one year of imprisonment under electronic monitoring, plus a two-year conditional sentence.

The one-year electronic monitoring sentence brings into play the scenario Le Pen warned would force her to withdraw.

Additionally, Le Pen was fined one hundred thousand euros.

Before today's court announcement, French analysts estimated that if her disqualification remained in effect, her young protégé Jordan Bardella, only thirty years old, would become the party's candidate in her place, thereby reshaping the race for the seat to be vacated by Emmanuel Macron.

According to polls, Bardella, like Le Pen, has a significant chance of winning the presidency if he runs; however, at the critical moment, his youth could serve as a weakness and a weapon used against him.

Last night, hours before the verdict, Bardella wrote on X: "Nothing can justify a situation where Marine Le Pen is barred from the choice of the people and prevented from presenting herself to them in the presidential election.

To Marine, I want to say only one thing: you could rely on me yesterday, you can rely on me today, and you will be able to rely on me tomorrow."

The first round of the French presidential elections will take place in April of next year.

Provided no candidate wins more than fifty percent in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to a decisive second round in May. The race is expected to begin taking shape this coming September and accelerate early next year.

To qualify as a candidate, each person must secure the support of five hundred elected officials.