French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote

French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote

Jordan Bardella, left, still just 29, is the National Rally's 'plan B'

A French appeals court said on Tuesday it would examine Marine Le Pen's case within a timeframe that could potentially allow the far-right leader to contest the 2027 presidential election if her conviction is overturned.

In a court ruling many commentators called a political earthquake, Le Pen on Monday was given a prison term and fine after being convicted of a fake jobs scheme at the EU parliament.

But the most serious part of the conviction was a five-year ban -- effective immediately -- on standing for office, which eliminates her from the race.

Le Pen was convicted for a scheme where her National Rally (RN) party was found to have eased the pressure on its own finances by using European Parliament monthly allowances to pay "fictitious" parliamentary assistants, who actually worked for the party.

Twenty-four people -- including Le Pen -- were convicted, all of them RN party officials or assistants. 

Addressing her lawmakers Tuesday, Le Pen, who considered herself the favourite in the 2027 election in which President Emmanuel Macron cannot stand again, accused "the system" of rolling out "the nuclear bomb" to end her presidential hopes.

"If they use such a powerful weapon against us, it's obviously because we're about to win an election," said Le Pen, 56. 

The Paris Court of Appeal said later Tuesday that it would examine Le Pen's case "within a timeframe that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026".

This could mean that the new trial would be held by early 2026, and that the decision would therefore be handed down well before the 2027 presidential election, in which Le Pen wants to run for the fourth time.

Late on Tuesday Le Pen called the promise of the summer 2026 timeframe "very good news" which nonetheless highlighted the "turmoil created by the ruling" in the first place. 

In an interview in Le Parisien newspaper the veteran Eurosceptic said she would refer the matter to the European Court of Human Rights to argue that the verdict "creates irreparable harm".

- 'Reasonable timeframe' -

In a statement the court said it had received three appeals against the rulings handed down on Monday.

The announcement was made after Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, speaking during a tense parliament session, expressed hope that Le Pen's appeal would be heard within the "most reasonable timeframe".  

Le Pen's National Rally, which is the largest single party in parliament, can complicate life for Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who does not have a majority in the lower house National Assembly.

Should Le Pen lose her appeal, there is also a "plan B", a candidacy by her protege and RN party leader Jordan Bardella, a 29-year-old with a slick television and social media presence.

The atmosphere in parliament was particularly tense on Tuesday.

Le Pen, who is head of her party's parliamentary faction, attended the session and was seen laughing and chatting. 

"I don't want to let it be said here that our democracy is being undermined by the judiciary," said Bayrou. "That's not true".

Le Pen's conviction sparked angry reactions from far-right figures across Europe but also from the Kremlin, X owner Elon Musk and Trump, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed concern.

"She was banned from running for five years and she is the leading candidate. That sounds like this country," said US President Donald Trump, comparing her conviction to the "lawfare" he says was waged against him before becoming president.

- 'I am counting on you' -

The National Rally said it would organise a rally in Le Pen's support in Paris on Sunday.

"I'm counting on you!" she said on X.

Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Bardella said that Le Pen had been judged with "brutality and violence", adding: "Everything will be done to prevent us from coming to power".

He added that the situation could boost the fortunes of the RN.

France's prosecutor general Remy Heitz said the verdict was "not a political decision but a legal one".

Le Pen took over the former National Front (FN) from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011 and has since sought to clean up its image. Her father, who died in January, was often accused of making racist and anti-Semitic comments. 

After three unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 2012, 2017 and 2022, polls had shown Le Pen to be on course to easily top the first round with a chance of winning the presidency in the second round run-off.

but-dac-sjw-as/ach/giv 

Originally published as French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote