French prosecutors urged an appeals court on Tuesday (February 3) to largely confirm a previous court's ruling against French far-right officials in an EU embezzlement trial, without saying yet how this will apply to longtime party chief Marine Le Pen.

The initial ruling, in March last year, was a major setback for Le Pen as it banned her from running for office for five years, effective immediately.

If that ruling is fully confirmed, Le Pen will not be able to run in next year's presidential election. If the ban is substantially shorter, or if there is no ban, she could still take part.

In last year's ruling the court said that Le Pen had been "at the heart" of a scheme to misappropriate more than 4 million euros of EU funds and use them to pay the far-right party's staff back home.

Le Pen told the court in her appeals trial that she had no sense of having done anything wrong, and had appealed against the ruling along with others from her party.

The prosecutors are expected to specify later in the day what sentences they will seek for each of the defendants, including Le Pen, with the ruling expected in the coming weeks or months.

Le Pen has run three times for president. If she cannot run next year, 30-year-old party president Jordan Bardella looks set to become the RN's candidate.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

PARIS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 3, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF FRENCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER, MARINE LE PEN, RETURNING TO COURT AFTER A BREAK IN APPEAL HEARING

2. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS AT ENTRANCE TO COURTROOM

3. LE PEN LEAVING DURING ANOTHER BREAK IN HEARING

4. JOURNALISTS WAITING OUTSIDE EXIT WHERE LE PEN LEFT

5. VARIOUS OF LE PEN RETURNING TO COURTROOM

6. LETTERING READING (French): "COURT OF APPEAL - FIRST CHAMBER"

7. POLICE OUTSIDE COURTROOM