Le Pen sentenced to 1 year with electronic bracelet over embezzlement

A French appeals court has handed far-right politician Marine Le Pen a three-year sentence, with two years suspended and one with an electronic bracelet, in a long-awaited ruling over the embezzlement of EU funds.

The court also ruled on Tuesday that Le Pen would lose her eligibility to hold public office for 15 months, with a further 30 months of the punishment being suspended.

The ruling presents Le Pen with major obstacles to running in France's presidential election next spring, although it leaves the possibility open in theory.

Le Pen has previously stated that she would not run if forced to wear an electronic bracelet, which would mean she would have to abide by strict curfews.

The 57-year-old is due to make a statement on her political future on Tuesday evening.

She was convicted last year of misusing EU funds and sentenced to a prison term as well as a five-year ban on running for office, but she appealed the verdict.

The case centres on allegations that members of Le Pen's National Rally party - then known as the National Front - improperly used European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay parliamentary assistants who were in fact working, at least in part, for the party.