The Paris Court of Appeal is due to deliver its verdict on Marine Le Pen's embezzlement appeal at half past one local time today — a ruling that will determine whether the far-right leader can stand in next year's French presidential election.
Le Pen was convicted in March last year of misappropriating more than four million euros (approximately $4.5 million) of European Parliament funds to pay staff at her National Rally party — a scheme spanning roughly a decade.
She faces a possible five-year ban from public office, which would rule her out of the race to succeed French President Emmanuel Macron.
Peter Allen, reporter in Paris.
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Peter Allen, reporter in Paris, says the stakes could hardly be higher — Le Pen has been a runner-up in the last two presidential elections and remains a strong favourite in the polls.
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