France’s Le Pen draws parallels with Imamoglu arrest, accuses government of hypocrisy
President of the parliamentary group of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, Marine Le Pen leaves the headquarters of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, after a French court sentenced her to a five-year ban on running for office and a prison term in a trial on charges of embezzlement of European public funds, in Paris, France on March 31, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, accused the French government of double standards on Tuesday, drawing parallels between her political ban and the arrest of former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Le Pen, during a press conference, questioned how the French government could defend Imamogly who was arrested in Türkiye on corruption charges.
“How will they defend Erdogan’s main rival, who is currently imprisoned?” Le Pen asked, highlighting what she called a “complete democratic scandal” in both Türkiye and France.
Comment vont-ils pouvoir défendre M. Navalny ? Comment vont-ils pouvoir défendre l'opposant principal de M. Erdogan, qui est actuellement emprisonné, lorsqu'on empêche la favorite à l’élection présidentielle, par la voie d'une exécution provisoire, d’être candidate ? pic.twitter.com/9qlyFy4btv
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) April 1, 2025
A French court on Monday convicted Le Pen of embezzling European Parliament funds and imposed a ban on her running for public office. She was also sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended and served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Le Pen denounced the verdict as a “political decision” and vowed to appeal. If the ruling stands, she will be barred from running in the 2027 presidential election.
In her remarks, Le Pen accused the French authorities of hypocrisy, questioning how they could lecture others on democracy while allegedly punishing political opponents at home.
She referred to the cases of Navalny, Imamoglu, and other political figures facing imprisonment, claiming that the ruling against her was aimed at preventing her from seeking the presidency.
Imamoglu was detained on March 19 on charges of corruption and terrorism. He was later arrested on March 23 as part of an investigation into corruption within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
