Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party in the French parliament, has been convicted of embezzlement.
A court in Paris has convicted Marine Le Pen, the far-right politician, of embezzling funds from the European Union.
Ms. Le Pen, who is currently the leader of the National Rally party in parliament, has been sentenced to a five-year ban from holding public office and four years in prison, two of which are suspended.
Marine Le Pen and 20 other senior members of the National Rally party were accused of hiring assistants and secretaries whose salaries were paid by the European Parliament but were used for party affairs.
These 20 defendants, eight of whom were former members of the European Parliament and 12 were parliamentary assistants, have all been convicted of embezzlement.
Ms. Le Pen left the court before the announcement of her ban from public office.
As a result, it seems Ms. Le Pen can no longer participate in the 2027 presidential election in France, an election in which polls had indicated she was leading.
It is unclear whether Ms. Le Pen will be sent to prison to serve her sentence or will be subjected to restrictions such as wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.