Necva Taştan Sevinç
09 April 2025•Update: 10 April 2025
ISTANBUL
A man, 76, was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence Wednesday for threatening a judge in the corruption case of far-right politician Marine Le Pen in France.
The man from Garenne-Colombes in the Hauts-de-Seine department was found guilty of using social media to threaten the judge with death or harm, and to insult a magistrate performing official duties, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.
The court also imposed a €3,000 ($3,240) fine.
Paris Chief Prosecutor Marie-Suzanne Le Queau earlier confirmed that five individuals had been identified for sending threatening messages to judges following the court’s ruling on March 31 in the case.
After the verdict, several threatening posts targeting the judges were shared on social media.
The National Bar Council (CNB) condemned the threats, expressing solidarity with the president of the 11th Chamber of the Paris Court, which oversaw the case.
The far-right National Rally leader was found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to pay party staff for non-parliamentary work. She was banned from politics for five years and sentenced to four years in prison -- two of which are suspended, and two to be served under electronic surveillance --along with a €100,000 fine.
Le Pen has vowed to appeal the verdict.
The threats reportedly targeted not only the presiding judge but two public prosecutors. It remains unclear whether the man detained in La Garenne-Colombes is from the five suspects initially flagged by investigators.
French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin have strongly condemned the wave of intimidation. Darmanin labeled the threats "unacceptable in a democracy," emphasizing the need to uphold judicial independence and protect the integrity of France’s legal institutions.
"We will not tolerate any form of pressure on magistrates," he stated.
Security services, meanwhile, remain on high alert amid growing concerns about the safety of legal officials and the potential for further radical actions by individuals sympathetic to Le Pen or hostile to the French judiciary.
