French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he wants Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right-wing National Unification party, to consider the appeal “as soon as reasonably possible.”
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“I personally hope that if Le Pen files an appeal, the decision-making process at the Paris Court of Appeal will be organized as soon as possible,” he said, speaking at the National Assembly.
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He noted that the date of the trial will be set by the Court of appeal “in an independent manner.”
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The day before, Le Pen confirmed that she intends to appeal the verdict in order to prove her innocence. If the Court of appeal acquits her or overturns part of the decision on the immediate execution of the sentence regarding the ban on participating in elections, she will be able to run for president in 2027.
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Le Pen expressed hope that the court will have time to consider her case before the elections.
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A Paris court on Monday sentenced Marine Le Pen and a number of deputies of the right-wing National Unification party in the case of embezzlement of European Parliament funds.
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Le Pen, like other deputies found guilty, was banned by the court from being elected to government bodies. With regard to Le Pen, this preventive measure has been imposed for five years with immediate execution of the sentence, which may deprive her of a chance to enter the fight for the presidency in 2027. She must also serve two years with an electronic bracelet at home and pay a fine of 100,000 euros. The court ordered the party to pay 1 million euros.
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This case concerned the fictitious hiring of assistants to the party’s MEPs in the period from 2004 to 2016. Le Pen was found guilty of creating a “centralized system” of laundering EP money. According to the charges, the European Parliament allocated funds to pay for the work of parliamentary assistants to MEPs from Le Pen’s party, but in fact the assistants worked only for the National Unification Party. The court estimated the damage to the EP at 4.1 million euros.
