Mon Mar 31 09:00:18 UTC 2025: ## Le Pen Found Guilty of Embezzling EU Funds, Presidential Bid in Jeopardy
**PARIS** – Far-right French leader Marine Le Pen has been found guilty of embezzling over €3 million ($3.3 million) in European Union funds, a ruling that throws her 2027 presidential ambitions into serious doubt. A Paris court determined that Le Pen misused funds allocated for her assistants as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), instead diverting them to pay members of her National Rally party.
The verdict, delivered today, could render Le Pen ineligible to run for president. While the specific sentencing details are pending, a potential jail sentence and significant financial penalties are on the table. Le Pen herself has denounced the prosecution as an attempt at her “political death.”
Currently leading in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential race, this conviction represents a major blow to her campaign. Further details regarding the sentence are expected shortly. This is a developing story.
First Piper 