Shorouk Express
PARIS — France’s constitutional court ruled Friday that it is constitutional to remove an elected official from office as punishment for a crime before the individual has exhausted the appeals process.
While the case concerns a little-known former local representative from the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, legal scholars have followed it closely, with some arguing the decision could impact the embezzlement trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Prosecutors in Le Pen’s case had asked a three-judge panel to ban her from running for office for five years and immediately execute that part of the sentence, as opposed to waiting until all appeals have been concluded. If the court follows the recommendations, Le Pen could be barred from running in the presidential election scheduled for 2027.
The judges should deliver a verdict in Le Pen’s case Monday.
This story is being updated.
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