Marine Le Pen to face appeal hearing Sept. 8

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

An appeal hearing for far-right French politician Marine Le Pen, who was found guilty of corruption and banned from holding office for five years, is set to begin Sept. 8, according to media reports Friday.

The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed the date for the hearing, which will address Le Pen’s conviction and political disqualification.

Le Pen, a leading figure in the National Rally (RN) party and a front-runner for the presidency, had previously applied to the European Court of Human Rights for interim measures to lift the ban, but her request was rejected July 9.

The request to the ECHR came after a court sentenced Le Pen earlier this year to four years in prison, including two years suspended, and five years of ineligibility. The ruling was related to the long-running case involving the use of European Parliament funds to pay party staffers.

Due to the provisional execution of the sentence, Le Pen is barred from running in future elections, including snap legislative polls should the president dissolve the National Assembly.

She has also been automatically removed from her role as departmental councilor in Pas-de-Calais.