Allies of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen have accused the judiciary of a witch-hunt and undue meddling in democracy after prosecutors requested she face an obligatory five-year ban from public office if convicted of misusing European Union funds.

French prosecutors have asked for prison time and a five-year ban from politics for far-right leader Marine Le Pen, potentially derailing her bid to become president in 2027.

French prosecutors in the embezzlement trial of Marine Le Pen, France’s hard-Right leader, have demanded she get a jail sentence and a ban from public office if convicted, potentially barring her from running for president in 2027.