The Paris court is expected to render its verdict in the spring. It could declare Le Pen ineligible to seek public office if it finds her guilty.

French judges will deliver verdicts on March 31 in the trial of Marine Le Pen and her far-right party on charges of misappropriating European Union funds, a ruling that could have far-reaching political consequences.

The trial of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and other French right-wing nationalists on suspicion of embezzling European funds wound down on Wednesday, with verdicts expected in early 2025. The central accusation in the trial is that Le Pen's National Rally party received money from the European Parliament for parliamentary assistants who were actually working either partly or wholly for the party itself.