‘Law is for everyone’: Macron comments for first time on far-right leader Le Pen’s conviction

Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas said Macron made three key points about Le Pen’s sentencing after a Cabinet meeting.

The French president said “justice is independent” and that threats against judges are “absolutely unacceptable.” He also stressed that everyone is entitled to equal justice and that “the law is the same for everyone.”

On March 31, a Paris court found Le Pen and eight other members of the European Parliament guilty of embezzling EU funds. Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended, and banned from running in France’s next presidential election in 2027.

Le Pen called the ruling “political” and said she would appeal.

The RN leader and 24 other party members went on trial in November 2024 over accusations of misusing money received from the European Parliament in a suspected fake jobs scheme. Instead of paying EU staffers, the funds were allegedly funneled to party politicians in France, according to investigators.

The European Parliament estimated that about 7 million euros were misappropriated. Le Pen and other defendants denied the charges.