Banning Marine Le Pen from politics would be a grave mistake

Paris prosecutors last week recommended that Marine Le Pen be jailed and banned from public office for five years. The court also wants similar sentences for 24 members of the party who, along with Le Pen, are accused of misusing public funds.

The prosecutor accuses Le Pen of using money intended for EU parliamentary aides to instead pay staff who worked for the party between 2009 and 2016. The defence’s argument is that it’s hard to differentiate between what constitutes EU work and party work as the two often overlap. The judges will study the evidence and a verdict is expected in early 2025.

Le Pen described the prosecutions’ recommendation as ‘excessive’ and some of her political opponents agreed; Gerald Darmanin, the former Minister of the Interior, said that ‘It would be deeply shocking if Marine Le Pen were deemed ineligible… Let us not be afraid of democracy and avoid widening, even further, the gap between the “elites” and the vast majority of our fellow citizens.