PARIS: The appeal trial of Marine Le Pen opened Tuesday, with the French far-right leader hoping to overthrow a graft conviction and save her 2027 run for president.
The appeal comes after a French court last year barred her from running for office for five years over a European Parliament fake jobs scam involving her and other officials from her National Rally party.
The three-time presidential candidate was also handed a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and fined 100,000 euros ($116,000).
Le Pen, 57, who has always maintained her innocence, entered the packed courtroom on Tuesday afternoon flanked by two lawyers, in the hopes of clearing the way for a fourth bid to become president.
If the court upholds the first ruling, Le Pen will be barred from running in the 2027 election, widely seen as her best — and possibly last — chance to win the country’s top job.
