ISTANBUL 

French far-right National Rally party (RN) leader Marine Le Pen was officially removed from her position as councilor for the northern French department of Pas-de-Calais on Friday following her recent embezzlement conviction.

The decree formalizing Le Pen’s removal from office was issued and notified to her earlier this week, days after authorities received official notification of the court ruling, Le Parisien reported.

The decision follows her sentencing on March 31 to five years of ineligibility, along with four years in prison, two of which will be served under electronic monitoring, and a €100,000 (about $106,500) fine.

Despite the removal, Le Pen retains the right to challenge the prefectural decision before the administrative court, which would suspend the decree’s implementation pending the outcome, in line with France’s electoral code.

However, the Lille administrative court confirmed that it has "not registered any request from Marine Le Pen to date."

Le Pen’s defense lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Paris Criminal Court found Le Pen guilty of being at the center of a scheme that misused European Parliament funds to pay RN party staff between 2004 and 2016.

The total amount of embezzled funds is estimated at €4.4 million, of which €1.1 million has reportedly been repaid.

While the Constitutional Council’s jurisprudence allows her to keep her seat in the National Assembly, Le Pen would be barred from running again in the event of snap legislative elections during her period of ineligibility.

Le Pen has appealed the conviction and denounced the ruling as a "political decision" that "flouts the rule of law."

The Paris Court of Appeal has pledged to rule on the case by summer 2026, ahead of the 2027 presidential election, for which Le Pen had been widely expected to be a leading candidate.