Marine Le Pen arrived at the Clichy courts shortly before ten in the morning and headed directly to room 2.01, the same one where former president Nicolas Sarkozy was tried for the alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign. The court is expected to take two to three hours to deliver the verdict that has the French political class and society on edge.
Alongside Le Pen, 24 other party members from her party are appearing. Among them is her former partner and mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot, whose political future could also be seriously compromised.
March 31 will be marked as the D-Day in the political career of Marine Le Pen. At 56 years old, the leader of the National Rally will soon learn the verdict of the Paris Criminal Court, where she has been tried for alleged misappropriation of funds from the European Parliament, along with 25 other party members.
The prosecutor has requested five years in prison, five years of political disqualification, and a ¤300,000 fine for her. If found "guilty," it could mean the end of her political ambitions, including her aspirations as a presidential candidate in 2027. If she passes the test, it will officially kick off her journey towards the Élysée Palace, as the favorite in the polls after a calculated campaign to soften her image.
Marine Le Pen herself, who once criticized the prosecutor's request as "a political death sentence with provisional execution," has moderated her tone of accusations and lowered expectations. "I do not want to speculate in advance and will wait to know the verdict," the leader of the French far-right told Le Figaro. "I consider myself totally innocent of the charges against me."
The charges are for "breach of trust" and "misappropriation of funds" for using EU money, initially intended for European parliamentarians, to pay the French staff of the party. In Le Pen's case, the money is alleged to have been used to pay her bodyguard, chief of staff, and an assistant.
The investigation revealed the implementation of a "concerted and deliberate" fraudulent system to divert funds between 2006 and 2018 in a "deliberate and concerted" manner to the coffers of the National Front (predecessor of the National Rally, or RN in French), which was then facing serious financial problems.
The European Parliament estimates that the financial damage to the institution could have reached three million euros. Le Pen's party has returned one million euros, emphasizing that it is not an admission of guilt.
"I have always considered this legal battle as part of a political fight," Le Pen told Le Figaro. "I think those who did not understand that were probably deceived," warned the RN leader in a direct reference to the former prime minister and failed presidential candidate of The Republicans, François Fillon (sentenced to five years in prison and politically disqualified for ten years for misappropriation of public funds and creation of "fictitious jobs").
Before, during, and after the process, speculation has also arisen about the shadow role of Emmanuel Macron, concerned about handing over the Élysée to Le Pen in two years. The appointment of Richard Ferrand, a close ally of Macron, as president of the Constitutional Council in February was seen as an attempt by the president to interfere in the process.
In fact, the Constitutional Council ruled on Friday on the case of a councilor disqualified under "provisional execution," at the time of receiving the sentence and without waiting for the appeal to be resolved. The prosecutor has also requested "provisional execution" for Le Pen, which would mean her immediate disqualification (she could retain her seat in the National Assembly until the end of her term but would not be able to run in legislative or presidential elections).
However, Le Pen asserts that she is prepared to take the legal battle to its ultimate consequences and appeal the sentence in the coming months if found "guilty." The RN leader denies the existence of a scheme to divert party funds and argues that the charges stem from a narrow interpretation of the functions of a "parliamentary assistant."
"I have no concerns because Marine Le Pen is completely innocent in this case," stated her protégé, Jordan Bardella, who, at 29 years old, serves as president of the RN and has been seeking the spotlight for several months. Last weekend, he participated in a congress against antisemitism in Israel and two months ago made headlines for refusing to participate in an electoral event where Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, saluted with a Nazi gesture.
Bardella is already on par with Le Pen in the polls, leading to speculation about his readiness to immediately replace his "godmother" if the judges disqualify her. In her statements to Le Figaro, Le Pen assures that there are no tensions between them and that her ambition is to "be the president of all French people" in 2027. And in any case, pave the way for her ambitious natural successor: "In 2032, Jordan will be 36 years old.".