France weighs Le Pen office ban as EU funds case advances
French prosecutors asked an appeals court in Paris to ban Marine Le Pen from holding elected office for five years over alleged misuse of European Parliament funds to pay party staff, plus a one-year house arrest with an electronic bracelet and a 100,000-euro fine. Le Pen acknowledged some workers were paid as EU aides, calling it a mistake; the verdict could shape her 2027 presidential bid, with outcomes from acquittal to harsher punishment, potentially elevating Jordan Bardella if she is ineligible.