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Nicolas Barret asked for the ban to become effective immediately after the verdict, even if the defence team appeals, ruling Le Pen out of standing again for president in 2027.

Le Pen was defeated by Emmanual Macron at the last presidential election in 2022 by 58.55% to 41.45% but RN is the biggest among the numerous parties in the National Assembly.

The proposed prison sentence is "convertible" and France's AFP news agency says that Le Pen "would not necessarily go to prison".

The Paris prosecutor has asked for a prison sentence of five years and a five-year ban from political office for far-right leader Marine Le Pen in an illegal party funding case.

According to the prosecution case, Le Pen presided over a system for several years in which RN staff members from Paris were "taken on" as EU parliamentary assistants in Brussels.