Marine Le Pen’s political future at stake as French court to rule in embezzlement case

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrives at the courtroom for the trial over the suspected embezzlement of European Parliament funds (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

A Paris court is expected to deliver a verdict in an embezzlement case that could shake up French politics and derail far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s career.

Ms Le Pen and 24 other officials from her National Rally are accused of having used money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, in violation of the 27-nation bloc’s regulations.