Marine le Pen

[ChevronB19]

Oh dear. Stormed out before sentencing as well.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cwyewv8xdp7t

[Al Gorithum]

It's almost as if Grifting is a required characteristic of being Right Wing.

[119]

So, as long as you only far right, and not misbehaving, you can run.

[Murph7355]

I hope that penalty was clear prior to the trials etc happening (ie it's a known/std penalty for such things), as if not I suspect things could kick off badly.

[Mannginger]

What a terrible shame. Suspended prison sentence and barred from running for 5 years. FN can still run a candidate of course and their base will be incensed, but if she'd played by the rules she wouldn't be in this situation. Today's a good day

[Murph7355]

Mannginger said:

What a terrible shame. Suspended prison sentence and barred from running for 5 years. FN can still run a candidate of course and their base will be incensed, but if she'd played by the rules she wouldn't be in this situation. Today's a good day

As noted, only if that sentence was on the cards before this trial started.

Otherwise the French risk what happened in the US each time Trump was put on trial.

A prison sentence seems harsh given what we do with spending issues.

[J210]

Does this mean she now qualifies for the President of the European Central Bank job ?

[ChevronB19]

Murph7355 said:

Mannginger said:

What a terrible shame. Suspended prison sentence and barred from running for 5 years. FN can still run a candidate of course and their base will be incensed, but if she'd played by the rules she wouldn't be in this situation. Today's a good day

As noted, only if that sentence was on the cards before this trial started.

Otherwise the French risk what happened in the US each time Trump was put on trial.

A prison sentence seems harsh given what we do with spending issues.

There is an enormous difference between ‘spending issues’ and being found guilty of embezzlement.

Apparently 2 years suspended, the other 2 years on a tag. But not immediate as there is the inevitable appeal.

I love how politicians insist (rightly) that criminals should be present for their sentencing, but she decided it was fine for her to walk out midway.

[LordLoveLength]

J210 said:

Does this mean she now qualifies for the President of the European Central Bank job ?

No - I think you need to be found negligent and not sentenced. IMF role is a shoe-in though

[grumbledoak]

And just as she was predicted to win. Oh we are surprised.

The mask is slipping on our sham democracies.

[Baroque attacks]

grumbledoak said:

And just as she was predicted to win. Oh we are surprised.

The mask is slipping on our sham democracies.

grrrr matrix attack

[Mannginger]

Murph7355 said:

I hope that penalty was clear prior to the trials etc happening (ie it's a known/std penalty for such things), as if not I suspect things could kick off badly.

I found this article from September last year, well before the trial started

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0jw967zg0eo

BBC article said:

If Le Pen is found guilty, she could face fines and imprisonment – and potentially be declared ineligible to run for office for up to 10 years, hitting her presidential ambitions.

Seems pretty clear and upfront to me

[ChevronB19]

grumbledoak said:

And just as she was predicted to win. Oh we are surprised.

The mask is slipping on our sham democracies.

Oh for gods sake. So all judiciaries are corrupt?

She (along with others) was found guilty by an independent judiciary in a democratic country.

Edited by ChevronB19 on Monday 31st March 12:51

[Dingu]

grumbledoak said:

And just as she was predicted to win. Oh we are surprised.

The mask is slipping on our sham democracies.

Loony.

[Baroque attacks]

Might well be the end of her. Sidelined for a chunk of time with a kid waiting in the wings to take over, odds of them handing power back to her in the future….

[Du1point8]

Everyone in the EU misuses funds. That's why their accounts haven't been signed off by audit for years. She just happens to be the one they decided to prosecute, strange that eh...

Von Der Leyen has been implicated in several embezzlement cases some worth billions rather than millions (eg re Pfizer contracts involving her husband) as has Lagarde. They just didn't prosecute them because they never convict their own.

[Hoofy]

Al Gorithum said:

It's almost as if Grifting is a required characteristic of being Right Wing.

Genuine question - why do you say grifting? Isn't that scamming to sell something? (It's a fairly new word for me.) And why is it related to being right wing?

[ChevronB19]

Du1point8 said:

Everyone in the EU misuses funds. That's why their accounts haven't been signed off by audit for years. She just happens to be the one they decided to prosecute, strange that eh...

Von Der Leyen has been implicated in several embezzlement cases some worth billions rather than millions (eg re Pfizer contracts involving her husband) as has Lagarde. They just didn't prosecute them because they never convict their own.

And I would fully support them being prosecuted as well, subject to a level of evidence that would reach the requirements for prosecution.

But hey, implication isn’t evidence. In this case, they have evidence, and she was prosecuted, and found guilty by an independent democratic judiciary.

Does that help?

[thatsprettyshady]

if you're left wing it's "fundraising", if you're right wing it's "grifting".

HTH

[pghstochaj]

Du1point8 said:

Everyone in the EU misuses funds. That's why their accounts haven't been signed off by audit for years. She just happens to be the one they decided to prosecute, strange that eh...

Von Der Leyen has been implicated in several embezzlement cases some worth billions rather than millions (eg re Pfizer contracts involving her husband) as has Lagarde. They just didn't prosecute them because they never convict their own.

There should be a phrase for this type of false argument.

Your first point is that "it's ok because everybody else does it"/"she shouldn't be found guilty for it because not everybody else that does it has been found guilty".

I am not sure it makes what she did OK.

The second point seems to be "funny that she is the only person prosecuted despite everybody doing it [it must be political]".

That's demonstrably incorrect, numerous people have been prosecuted for misused of EU funds. If you want a list, try a google search using:

"people found guilty misusing EU funds before:2023-01-01"

It's often right wing parties so either the EU only seeks prosecution for right wing people, or....