The decision to ban Marine Le Pen from running in France’s 2027 presidential election is looking more like a political hit job than a principled stand against corruption — especially now that we know she wasn’t alone in how she used European Union funds.

According to a new report, Le Pen’s so-called “embezzlement” of EU funds — which the French court used as justification to block her from running for office for five years — mirrors what over a hundred other Members of the European Parliament have done. Between 2019 and 2022, 139 MEPs, or one in five, were found to have violated the exact same rules. But unlike Le Pen, nearly all were quietly told to return the money and faced no charges.

In other words, the rule is clear: if you’re a Eurosceptic populist like Le Pen, you’re prosecuted and politically exiled. If you’re a good little pro-EU globalist, you get a slap on the wrist and move on with your career.

The Paris court’s ruling against Le Pen stems from allegations that she used EU parliamentary funds intended for legislative staff to instead pay for party-related political activities inside France. It’s a practice that has been an open secret for years in Brussels. Former BBC journalist Michael Crick said bluntly that “everybody in the European Parliament was at it” and that the body turned a blind eye to protect its own reputation.

Crick added, “If you are a Eurosceptic, you are more likely to fall afoul of all this than if you were a pro-European.” That’s not coming from a Le Pen supporter — that’s from a man who still wants the UK back in the EU.

Even French Prime Minister François Bayrou, a staunch pro-EU liberal, faced similar accusations. While some of his Democratic Movement party members were found guilty, Bayrou was acquitted and spared the political death sentence Le Pen now faces. Prosecutors had asked for just a three-year ban in his case, yet the court tossed it and gave him the “benefit of the doubt.”

Le Pen, meanwhile, had her five-year ban applied immediately — even during the appeal process — a move that flies in the face of France’s presumption of innocence. She’s fighting the ruling, but the appeal process could easily drag beyond the 2027 election, effectively removing the top conservative candidate from the ballot without ever needing to win at the polls.

It’s worth remembering who owns the timing and the levers of power in this case. The French judiciary leans heavily left, and Le Pen’s rise has the pro-EU establishment terrified. Polls show she was the frontrunner to replace Emmanuel Macron, with numbers as high as 37% in a crowded field. Her momentum made her a threat not just to France’s liberal elite, but to the entire European integration project.

The selective enforcement of EU financial rules is just the latest example of the institutional rot inside Europe’s political class. They don’t play fair — they crush dissent. They don’t care about ethics — they care about power.

The message to populist challengers is clear: win all the votes you want, we’ll find a way to take you out.

But the message to voters is just as clear: this isn’t justice, it’s judicial warfare.

And if the courts can ban Le Pen today, they can ban any candidate who threatens the status quo tomorrow.