A Paris misdemeanor court ruled to bar far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for office with immediate effect after convicting her of embezzling public funds alongside eight European deputies from her National Rally party.

The court president stated that the ruling aims to ensure elected officials do not receive preferential treatment.

Le Pen left the courtroom without waiting for the verdict and did not make any statements.

The court estimated the total damage at €2.9 million, accusing the deputies of entering into “fictitious contracts” with parliamentary assistants who were working for the party between 2004 and 2016.