Marine Le Pen received a 5-year ban from holding public office today, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
This means that the chairwoman of the French far-right party "National Rally" will not be able to run in the country's next presidential election in 2027.
The sentence was handed down by a court in the capital Paris, which earlier today found Le Pen guilty of embezzling European funds.
A French court found French far-right leader Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzling EU funds, Reuters reported. Le Pen is facing charges that could bar her from running in the 2027 presidential election.
The verdict could upend France's political landscape, Reuters reported. Le Pen, who leads the far-right National Rally party, is the frontrunner in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election.
Prosecutors had demanded that if she were found guilty, Le Pen be immediately banned from holding public office for five years, regardless of whether her conviction is appealed. They used a so-called provisional enforcement measure. Judges can accept or reject the prosecutors' request, as well as change its terms.
The automatic five-year ban would be a major blow to Le Pen, 56, who has run for president three times and has said she will run for president for the last time in 2027. She will keep her seat in parliament for the rest of her term.
Le Pen, who declined to speak to reporters upon arriving at the courthouse, accused prosecutors of seeking her "political death," saying it was a plot to keep the National Assembly out of power. Her comments echo U.S. President Donald Trump's allegations about his legal troubles, Reuters noted.
Le Pen and about 20 members of the National Assembly were accused of using European funds to pay party employees based in France.
The defendants claim that the money was used legally and that the charges define too narrowly the work of the parliamentary assistant.
However, judge Bénédict de Perthuis ruled: "It has been established that all these people actually worked for the party, that their MEP (in the European Parliament) did not assign them any tasks."
"The investigations also showed that this was not a question of administrative errors, but of embezzlement within a system put in place to reduce the party's expenses," he added.