Le Pen's conviction was due to her alleged involvement in a scheme to divert EU funds to her party. The judge pointed out that she was "at the center" of the operation, which sought to politically finance her group.
The former president of Brazil, who is politically and judicially persecuted by his country's justice system, reacted to the controversial case in France
Le Pen's conviction was due to her alleged involvement in a scheme to divert EU funds to her party. The judge pointed out that she was "at the center" of the operation, which sought to politically finance her group.
The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, criticized the shameful sentence in France that banned the right-wing leader Marine Le Pen from running for public office for five years, calling it "left-wing judicial activism."
Le Pen was convicted of alleged embezzlement of European Union funds, intended to benefit her party, which disqualifies her from the 2027 presidential race unless she achieves a favorable appeal.
Bolsonaro argued that the decision is a clear example of "lawfare", stating that the left-wing system uses justice to eliminate its political opponents. He correctly compared the situation in France with what happens in Brazil, where the left takes advantage of the judicial system to stay in power.
His comments were supported by right-wing leaders from several European countries, such as Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, who also condemned the sentence as a judicial overreach.
The conviction against Le Pen caused mixed reactions. While many rightly criticized it as a judicial overreach, a few defended the decision, highlighting the importance of respecting judicial independence and the rule of law.
Bolsonaro's criticism comes amid his own legal troubles in Brazil. The Supreme Court of Brazil recently ruled that he will be tried for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2022 elections. It is worth remembering that the elections had strange failures that resulted in the victory of the leftist Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, calling the case politically motivated. Additionally, he was disqualified from holding public office until 2030 for ''abuse of power'' during the electoral period, when he summoned ambassadors to question the legitimacy of Brazil's electoral system.
Both in Brazil and France, Bolsonaro's comments reflect a growing global concern about the use of judicial systems by left-wing figures to solve political disputes, especially when it is right-wing leaders who are harmed.
