Marine Le Pen on Wednesday accused prosecutors of seeking to sentence her to “political death” in a “politicised” embezzlement trial that could jeopardise her chances of running for president, POLITICO reports.
In an interview with French radio station RTL, the long-time leader of the nationally oriented party said the punishment sought by prosecutors – which includes an immediate five-year ban from running for office – amounts to a “political death sentence because it is irreparable.” Le Pen said:
“There’s real outrage … the public prosecutor’s office has created a disturbance of the peace with its demands.”
Le Pen, as well as her party, the Rassemblement Nationale, and 24 others are on trial for allegedly embezzling funds from the European Parliament to pay the salaries of party staff. All of the defendants deny their charges.
Last week, prosecutors demanded that Le Pen be sentenced to five years in prison, three years of which would be suspended, fined 300,000 euros and banned from running for public office for five years. The latter punishment would put an end to her plans to run for French president for a fourth time during the next election, which is scheduled for 2027. Prosecutors called on the presiding judge to immediately carry out the sentence, which would disqualify Le Pen from running for president while an appeal is pending.
Under French law, punishment is usually suspended while an appeal is pending. However, there have been other cases this year in which the ban on politicians running for public office has been applied immediately.
Le Pen’s defence in the court of public opinion echoes the strategy of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has declared her legal troubles a politically motivated “witch hunt.” She argued that the prosecutors’ recommendation in her case was a “political act” because prosecutors in France “are not independent.”
Prosecutors report to the Minister of Justice, but by law the Minister of Justice can only give prosecutors general instructions on criminal justice matters and has no power to decide on a specific case.
During the interview, she argued that being declared ineligible to run for public office would cause irreparable damage to her reputation, even if she later wins an appeal. Le Pen said:
“This is an absolutely outrageous sentence that poses a problem not only for the rule of law, but also for democracy.”
Budget red lines
During the interview, Le Pen also adopted an increasingly threatening tone towards the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, which is trying to pass its slashed budget before the end of the year.
Barnier’s government needs the tacit support of the Rassemblement Nationale to stay in power, and so far the nationally oriented party has given the long-time conservative grandee some leeway.
However, Le Pen has made it clear that her party feels unheard and is losing patience. She said Barnier’s budget did not sufficiently address concerns raised by the National Rally over immigration and the cost of living. The planned electricity tax hike crossed what Le Pen said was a “red line” for her party and would cause her supporters to withdraw their support for Barnier’s government. Le Pen said, adding that she would meet with Barnier next Monday to discuss these budgetary issues:
“Our priorities were not to raise taxes on individuals or entrepreneurs, not to make retirees pay, and to make structural savings on government spending.”
