French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been banned from holding political office for five years after a Paris court found her guilty of embezzling European Union funds.
The court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison, with two years suspended. However, she will serve her sentence under house arrest. Additionally, she has been fined €100,000 ($108,000).
Le Pen’s lawyer has confirmed that she will appeal the verdict.
Her party, National Rally (RN), was also fined €2 million in connection with the €4.1 million it was accused of misappropriating.
Presiding Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis described Le Pen’s actions as a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life in Europe, particularly in France.”
The judge further justified the immediate political ban, stating that allowing a convicted individual to run for office could lead to “democratic public unrest.”
