Far right leader Marine Le Pen, who considered herself the favourite in the 2027 presidential elections where President Emmanuel Macron cannot stand again, has been given a four-year prison term and fine after being convicted of a fake jobs scheme at the EU parliament. But the most serious part of the conviction is a five-year ban on standing for office, effective immediately. But Le Pen and her National Rally party have remained defiant, pinning hopes on an appeal that they are counting on to reverse the decision before the 2027 election. A NATURAL SOUND VERSION OF AN AFPTV REPORT