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00:00A five-year prison sentence, a two-million-euro fine and, most importantly, a five-year ban
00:06from public office with immediate effect. That's what Marine Le Pen and other far-right
00:11national rally officials now face, after French prosecutors laid down their request on Wednesday
00:17in the trial for the party's alleged misuse of EU funds. Although she said she wasn't
00:22surprised, Le Pen denounced the motion as excessive.
00:26The prosecution is, in reality, trying to deprive me and even deprive the French people
00:32of the ability to vote for who they want.
00:37The only thing the prosecution is interested in is Marine Le Pen. To ask once again for
00:42my exclusion from politics, with immediate effect, and then the national rally so they
00:47can ruin the party.
00:49Throughout the trial, Le Pen has repeatedly maintained her innocence and has dismissed
00:56the accusations as politically motivated. She is among more than 20 national rally officials,
01:02including her father Jean-Marie Le Pen and her sister, accused of hiring assistants who
01:06worked on party affairs between 2004 and 2016, rather than for the European Parliament, which
01:13paid them. The system of alleged fake jobs was first flagged in 2015. The European Parliament
01:20said it's lost three million euros. The national rally has already paid back one million, which
01:26it said was not an admission of guilt.
01:29The national rally's chairman, Jordan Bardella, was quick to call the prosecution's demands
01:33an assault on democracy, though the European Parliament's legal team said the law applies
01:38to all.
01:40Whether we're talking about someone elected into office, or an ordinary citizen with no
01:44political power, everyone is equal before the law.
01:47Le Pen's biggest concern is the potential five-year ban from public office with immediate
01:53effect, even if an appeal is lodged. This would not only apply to her if convicted,
01:59but all two dozen defendants on trial. If granted by the court, Le Pen will be ruled
02:04out from running for the presidency in 2027, which could be her most promising attempt
02:09yet, after losing out to Emmanuel Macron in the second round in the last two elections.