Marine Le Pen barred from public office

[Blaze]

Marine Le Pen has been found guilty of embezzling EU funds and is thus barred from running for public office for 5 years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwyewv8xdp7t
Rightly so. She's unlikely to spend time in prison but may be tagged instead.

Some of her opponents said they had hoped she didn't get this ineligibility - they said she is someone they need to fight at the ballot box, not through the judicial system.

How can they possibly believe that someone who has committed fraud, lied and is clearly dishonest would be a suitable candidate to run the country ? Oh I forgot, there are plenty of lying leaders ..... across the pond, behind the defunct Iron Curtain .....

[Blaze]

This from Hiugh Scofield :

Marine Le Pen was expecting a guilty verdict. But she was not expecting this.

In her mind – according to what she told a newspaper on Sunday – the judge would not "dare" to go so far as to bar her from running for the presidency.

She expected a period of ineligibility, yes – but one which would be on hold pending her appeal, thus opening the way for a fourth bid for the top job in 2027.

To be fair, it wasn’t just her who made that prediction. Plenty of commentators have been saying it would be a travesty of democracy if the most popular politician in the country was unable to run.???????? Unbelievable !

Even Marine Le Pen’s worst enemies – people like far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou – made it clear they thought an immediate ineligibility would be unfair and unwise.

But it’s happened. And now the National Rally will have to start looking at Plan B for 2027.

B as in Bardella.

[MAD87]

Yes, Bardella, who is a political lightweight. I'm far from from being a RN supporter, but I can't help feeling that the hard-left judges have exercised political bias (Cf. Le Pen, Sarkozy, etc.). Time for them to be viré and real judges to be appointed.

[widge]

As a euro mp, it looked like she had no interest in fighting for the best deal for the french, it was all about tactical voting in such a way that it caused the most disruption and headaches for the European parliament, irrespective of whether a law was beneficial to the French people or not.

[ajm]

Marine dans le pen

[Blaze]

Unsurprisingly, hard right leaders in Europe are showing support of Le Pen
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99pvmxg0e3o

And I saw this this morning. I've just taken the most interesting para :

Article 434-25 (Version en vigueur du 01 janvier 2002 au 01 mars 2017)
Modifié par Ordonnance n°2000-916 du 19 septembre 2000 - art. 3 (V) JORF 22 septembre 2000 en vigueur le 1er janvier 2002

Le fait de chercher à jeter le discrédit, publiquement par actes, paroles, écrits ou images de toute nature, sur un acte ou une décision juridictionnelle, dans des conditions de nature à porter atteinte à l'autorité de la justice ou à son indépendance est puni de six mois d'emprisonnement et de 7 500 euros d'amende.

Publicly seeking to discredit a judicial act or decision, through acts, words, writings or images of any kind, under conditions likely to undermine the authority of justice or its independence, is punishable by six months' imprisonment and a fine of 7,500 euros

[MAD87]

Well I watched the interview with MLP last night on TF1 and I have to agree that being convicted on an ex post facto law is just not on. Just as Sarkozy was convicted on the basis of privileged conversations with his lawyer.
As I said before, I'm Left, not Right, but I do believe in justice and the rule of law.

[Blaze]

being convicted on an ex post facto law is just not on.

I have to agree with that too. The wheels of justice are so incredibly slow in France that changes in the law are made in the meantime and don't necessarily relate to the time when the crime or offence was committed.
I think JB is launching a petition. Now that could come unstuck if Article 434-25 is put into force.

Despite all this, it doesn't change the fact that MLP misappropriated EU funds and is perhaps being used as a whipping post. She's an avocat so as far as appealing etc, she should know how far she can go.

I think JLM would be a grimmer proposition than MLP's lot ....

[MAD87]

I think JLM would be a grimmer proposition than MLP's lot ....

Oh yes!

[p4psb]

Well 12 years ago, Marine Le Pen suggested exactly what she got! I have linked to the English translation.

https://www-sudouest-fr.translate.goog/ ... r_hl=en-GB