French prosecutor seeks 5-year ban from office against French far right leader Le Pen

FILE PHOTO: French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, delivers a speech during a debate session on the first part of the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the National Assembly in Paris, France, October 22, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor on Wednesday requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial where she and 24 others are accused of embezzling European Union funds.

The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her party's efforts to polish its image ahead of a 2027 presidential vote many believe she can win.