France’s opposition figure Le Pen sentenced to 15-month ban from office

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President of far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group Marine Le Pen arrives to attend the verdict in the appeal trial of RN former or actual members on charges of embezzlement of European public funds in a case of alleged European Parliament fake jobs at Paris Court of Appeal on July 7, 2026. A lower court last year sentenced longtime party leader and three-time presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, to a five-year ban from public office and two years in prison over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament. The appeals court will rule on whether to uphold the ban in a case that has upended her presidential aspirations. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

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An appeals court Tuesday handed France’s far-right chief Marine Le Pen a one-year term with an ankle tag over a fake jobs scam in the European parliament, casting doubt on whether she will run for president next April.

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The court also prevented her from running for office for 15 months, a ban expected to have expired this year. But she said earlier she would not compete to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron if she was under house arrest and could not campaign properly.

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AFP

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