The verdict against Le Pen

Macron breaks silence: “Independent judiciary”

French President Emmanuel Macron has commented for the first time on the verdict against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, reports Le Parisien.

“I would like to recall three simple facts: the judiciary is independent, judges must be protected and respected and all convicted criminals have the right to appeal,” he said during a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.

Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison and a hefty fine for fraud with EU funds, and she is banned from holding public office for five years. She has appealed the verdict, and a final verdict is expected in the summer of 2026.

The judges in the Le Pen case have received death threats

Several of the judges who sentenced French far-right leader Marine Le Pen to prison and fines have received death threats, which are now being investigated by police, sources told France 24.

Death threats that were directed at the judges on a French far-right website before the verdict are being investigated.

In an initial statement about the verdict, President Macron says that judges must be protected and respected, and also states that all convicted criminals have the right to appeal.

Le Pen: Will appeal in every possible way

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is on the warpath after being sentenced to prison and fines for fraud, AFP reports.

– I will appeal to the European Court of Justice and the Constitutional Council. I will appeal to all the authorities I can, she says.

Yesterday, the Paris Court of Appeal announced that it is aiming for a final ruling in the summer of 2026, well in time for the presidential election in the spring of 2027, where Le Pen is the favorite in the opinion polls. She calls this “good news.”