French far-right party head Marine Le Pen has been banned from running in upcoming presidential elections after being found guilty in an embezzlement case.

According to CNN, Le Pen on Monday, March 31, 2025, was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds in a politically explosive ruling that has ended her dreams of winning the 2027 presidential elections.

A Paris court handed National Rally (RN) figurehead a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, a €100,000 ($108,000) fine, and most importantly, a five-year ban from running for public office.

The party was also ordered to pay €2 million in fines for the €4.1 million, accused of embezzling.

The court’s presiding judge, Bénédicte de Perthuis, said that the 56-year-old’s actions amounted to a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life in Europe, but especially in France.”

She continued. That immediate ban was imposed to avoid the “democratic public unrest” that could happen after the election of a person convicted of embezzlement.

“The question therefore arises in a singular way in this criminal case which makes its decision ‘in the name of the French people’. The court must not ignore the requirement to seek a social consensus,” the presiding judge added.

Meanwhile, the decision has sparked significant unrest in the political landscape of the country.

Marion Maréchal, Le Pen’s niece and a member of the European Parliament for a rival far-right party, asserted that her aunt had “led our side on the path to victory. This is her only guilt, and that is why she is condemned.”

Le Pen's lawyer has said that she will file an appeal against the decision.