Le Pen's Conviction Stands, but Electoral Ban Vanishes

Paris's appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds but cut her ineligibility ban to 15 months—a period she has already served. The conviction itself remains intact; the fake-jobs scheme that diverted EU money to her National Rally between 2004 and 2016 is established fact. Yet by reducing the ban retroactively, the court has cleared her path to the 2027 presidential race. The ruling exposes a judicial fault line: whether courts should calibrate sentencing timelines to electoral calendars or maintain independence from political timing.