Verdict imminent for Marine Le Pen in high-stakes embezzlement trial

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, faces a crucial moment on Monday as judges prepare to deliver a verdict that could decide her political future.

Le Pen and 24 other National Rally colleagues have been accused of embezzling money intended for European Parliament aides to pay staff who worked for the party over a four-year period.

After the trial concluded in November, the state prosecutor demanded guilty verdicts for Le Pen and her co-defendants, who have denied any wrongdoing.

The prosecutor also demanded that Le Pen should be fined €300,000, serve up to 10 years in prison and, crucially, be barred for running for public office with immediate effect for five years if found guilty.

The three judges are not obliged to follow the prosecutor's recommendations, but if they do, a guilty verdict for Le Pen would effectively bar her from running in the 2027 presidential race in which she is ahead of her rivals.

Le Pen has described the scenario as a "political death".

She denied accusations she was at the head of “a system” meant to siphon off EU parliament money to benefit her party, arguing instead it was acceptable to adapt the work of parliamentary aides to the needs of her party's lawmakers.

While testifying, Le Pen told the court: “I absolutely don’t feel I have committed the slightest irregularity, the slightest illegal move.”

Hearings showed that some of the money was used to pay for Le Pen’s bodyguard as well as her personal assistant.

Le Pen and co-defendants will be in court at 10 am for the verdict.