Le Pen allies believe court ruling will 'bypass presidential election'

Marine Le Pen has officially declared her candidacy for the French presidency, but her campaign faces a potential legal hurdle following a recent court decision.

The Court of Appeal sentenced the National Rally leader to one year in prison with an electronic monitoring bracelet in a case concerning the misuse of funds for parliamentary assistants. Le Pen announced her intention to appeal this decision to the Court of Cassation. This move allows her to campaign freely while awaiting the court's final verdict.

Le Pen's allies are confident that the Court of Cassation will not expedite its ruling. They anticipate that the court will follow its standard procedure, which typically takes between 12 and 18 months to deliver a verdict. This timeline would mean the decision would come after the presidential election, effectively bypassing any immediate impact on her campaign.

"The good news is that there is no longer any reason for the Court of Cassation to rule in January since this calendar was accelerated because we were talking about ineligibility and provisional execution," stated Laure Lavalette, a Var deputy and close associate of Le Pen. She added that since the ineligibility issue is now resolved, the court will revert to its normal process, which would "obviously bypass the presidential campaign."

Sébastien Chenu, the vice-president of the National Rally, echoed this sentiment, stating that the Court of Cassation generally renders its verdicts between one and two years after being seized. He emphasized that the party is not seeking to influence the timing of the decision. Le Pen's lawyer, Rodolphe Bosselut, also believes that Le Pen's situation does not qualify for an accelerated procedure, returning the case to a more "classic situation." However, he acknowledged the "risk" associated with the appeal if the Court of Cassation were to rule differently.

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La bonne nouvelle, c’est qu’il n’y a plus de raison que la cour de cassation statue en janvier puisque ce calendrier était accéléré parce qu’on parlait d’inéligibilité et d’exécution provisoire.