Paris, France. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said she will run for president after an appeals court upheld her embezzlement conviction but shortened her electoral ban. She said she would appeal to France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation.
Appeals court ruling
The Paris appeals court found Le Pen guilty of misusing EU funds to pay party staff. It sentenced her to three years in prison, with two years suspended and one year to be served in home detention with an electronic tag.
Effect on presidential candidacy
The court also cleared Le Pen to run for office by shortening an electoral ban that she and her allies had argued was undemocratic. Le Pen said there was no longer any scenario in which she would not run.
Impact of further appeal
Her appeal to the Cour de Cassation will suspend the sentence and the obligation to wear the electronic tag. The court said on Wednesday it could rule before the presidential election, by early April at the latest, although that timeframe could change.
Possible outcomes before the election
If the Cour de Cassation overturns the appeals court ruling before the election, it will send the case back. In the meantime, Le Pen will be presumed innocent and would not need to wear the electronic tag.
If the Cour de Cassation upholds the appeals court’s ruling, Le Pen will be definitively convicted and will have to serve her sentence, including wearing the electronic tag.