There are appointments French political life awaits the way others await exam results. On 7 July 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal is due to rule in the case of the Rassemblement National's European parliamentary assistants. At stake: whether to confirm, soften or quash a first-instance verdict that, as it stands, keeps Marine Le Pen out of the 2027 presidential election.
At the heart of the file is a mechanism that the courts called a “system”: between 2004 and 2016, assistants to the party's MEPs (the former Front National) are said to have actually worked for the political organisation while being paid by the European Parliament. In other words, salaries funded by European public money that, according to the prosecution, mostly served the party machine in Paris.
The whole point of a parliamentary assistant is to assist the parliamentarian. The twist here would have been to assist the entire party — Brussels paying the wages, Paris reaping the work. A montage of quiet elegance: costs mutualised on the European taxpayer, benefits privatised on the party side.
A very heavy first-instance verdict
On 31 March 2025, the Paris criminal court hit hard. Marine Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison (two of them firm, served under an electronic tag), a €100,000 fine and five years' ineligibility — the latter carrying provisional enforcement, meaning it applies immediately, regardless of the appeal. Around twenty defendants were tried, and the party itself was targeted as a legal entity. The loss to the European Parliament was estimated at several million euros.
It is that provisional enforcement of the ineligibility that turned the file into a political bombshell: as it stands, it deprives the RN's leading figure of the 2027 presidential race. Hence the attention on the appeal, heard from 13 January to 12 February 2026, with the ruling due on 7 July.
Provisional enforcement is the judicial version of “we don't wait for the refund to cash the cheque”. The penalty applies first, we argue later. For a party that has made fighting the “judges” a campaign line, the calendar has a certain sense of irony.
Key points
- The Paris Court of Appeal rules on 7 July 2026 in the case of the RN's parliamentary assistants.
- Alleged 2004-2016 scheme: assistants paid by the European Parliament but working for the party.
- First instance (31 March 2025): Marine Le Pen — 4 years in prison, €100,000 fine, 5 years' ineligibility with provisional enforcement.
- Loss estimated at several million euros; the party tried as a legal entity.
- Appeal proceedings not yet settled: presumption of innocence.
Magouilles & Compagnie verdict
Magouille or calomnie? The court of appeal will decide — we won't. Holding verdict: a file where European public money and a candidate's political survival hang on the same hearing. On 7 July, justice will say whether the “system” described at first instance is confirmed. Until then, one certainty: rarely has an assistant's payslip weighed so heavily on a presidential election.
We will update this article as soon as the decision is handed down.
⚖ Your verdict Live
In your view, is this a case of magouille — or calomnie?
📚 Sources
- Le Club des Juristes — « Affaire des assistants parlementaires du FN : les enjeux de la décision »
- Wikipédia — « Affaire des assistants parlementaires du Front national au Parlement européen »
❓ FAQ
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