Le Pen and RN leadership hold crisis meeting afta five-year court ban on French far-right leader

Di French court don ban Marine Le Pen from running for public office afta dem find her guilty of misappropriating EU money to finance her far-right party.

Judge ban Le Pen for five-years, dis go stop her running for president in 2027.

Di presidential hopeful and eight oda pipo wey be EU lawmakers at di time, along wit 12 parliamentary assistants, dey guilty of embezzling funds to fund dia French National Rally (RN) party.

"We don establish say all dis pipo bin dey work for di party, (EU) lawmaker neva give dem any tasks," Judge Benedicte de Perthuis tell di court.

"Di investigations also show say dis no be administrative errors ... but embezzlement within di framework of di system put in place to reduce di party costs."

Le Pen, who sit down for di front row in court, shake her head as di judge dey tok, Reuters news agency report.

Le Pen, comot from di courtroom bifor dem finish di hearing, afta di five-year ban, di court also sentence her to four years in prison wit two years suspension and and di oda two she go serve outside jail wit electronic tag.

Di court issue her €100,000 (£84,000) fine but she fit appeal di matta, so dem no fit apply di judgement for now.

Rodolphe Bosselut, Le Pen lawyer, tok say im client go appeal di sentence.

Bosseult tok say im clinet go tell pipo wetin dey her mind herself during her interview at 20:00 (19:00 BST).

"Wetin dey sure be say her lawyer no dey happy," e tell French media.

Wetin e mean for Le Pen, her party and French democracy

Dis na earthquake. E get big implications for her, her party and French democracy.

Wetin dis mean be say Le Pen no fit run for di next 2027 election - dis go cause some legal twist for french democracy

Some of her opponents tok say dem hope say she no get dis ineligibility - dem tok say she be pesin wey suppose fight at di ballot box, no be through di judicial system.

But Le Pen no dey di race again and she dey vex wella - she carry vex face commot from di courtroom.

Marine Le Pen dey expect guilty verdict. But she no expect dis.

For her mind – according to wetin she bin tell tori pipo on Sunday – di judge no go "dare" to go so far as to ban her from running for di presidency.

To be fair, no be only her wey bin dey expect di prediction. Plenty of commentators tok say di move go dey bad for if di most popular politician in di kontri no fit run.

Even Marine Le Pen worst enemies – pipo like far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou – make am clear say dem bin think say immediate ineligibility go dey unfair and unwise.

But e don happun. And now di National Rally go need to start looking for Plan B in 2027.

Politicians and odas reaction to di verdict

For one statement, di far-left France Unbowed party tok say "dem neva expect to use di courts to get rid of" di RN

"We go fight dem for ballot box and in di streets, wit di French pipo, as we bin do during di 2024 legislative elections. We go fight again tomorrow for di polls, whoever be dia candidate."

Fabien Roussel, di national secretary of di French Communist Party, tok say

"Ms. Le Pen na politician wey demand firmness on di part of the judiciary! Respect di judicial system den."

And di former leader of di centre-right Republicans, Eric Ciotti, hit out at di Paris court, she tok say di "democratic destiny of our nation dey for di hand of some judicial cabal"

"Di favour candidate for di presidential election wey dem prevent from running. Dis no be simple dysfunction. Dis na system to capture power wey go systematically throws aside any candidate wey dey too far to di right and wey get chance of winning."

Nigel Farage tok say dem don cancel Marine Le Pen wetin e describe as "very trumped-up charge".

Di Reform UK leader, wey dey for Kent to campaign ahead of di local elections, tell di BBC di ban on Le Pen na "trend".

"For dis kontri we get nine county council elections on 1 May wey no go happun, and e fit no happun for years," Farage tok.

"And for France, dem don cancell one candidate. One candidate wey be say without doubt, go win di next French presidential election. And you know wetin, e look to me like trumped-up charge."

Farage suggest sayEurosceptic parties don unfairly target legal action such as dis.

"I bin dey European Parliament for ova 20 years, and I watch di way dem use public money," e tok.

"And e be like say di only pipo wey dem dey pursue na di Eurosceptic parties. Dis tell you everytin. I don see how e fit dey possible di only pipo wey don in breach EU funding rules na Eurosceptics. E no just dey possible."

One of di lawyers for European Parliament don welcome di verdict against Marine Le Pen today.

Patrick Maisonneuve tell reporters di court find "very clearly" say no doubt di National Rally party don put system in place to divert European Parliament funds.