Le Pen's Conviction Upheld, Ban Reduced to Five Months

Paris's appeals court has upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds but slashed her electoral ban from ten years to just 15 months—time already served. The fake-jobs scheme that diverted EU money to her National Rally from 2004 to 2016 remains proven. The retroactive reduction clears her path to the 2027 presidential race, raising questions about whether courts should time sentences with political cycles.