France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen has returned to court to appeal an embezzlement conviction that risks affecting her 2027 presidential ambitions. She was found guilty in March of misusing European Parliament funds and sentenced to a five-year ban from holding office, among other penalties. The appeal trial involving Le Pen and 10 others opened on Tuesday and is set to last five weeks. The verdict is expected possibly before summer. Le Pen denies wrongdoing, arguing the funds were used appropriately. The case weighs heavily on her political future, as she has worked to bring the far right into France’s mainstream politics.
