The EU's Double Standard on Marine Le Pen The recent guilty verdict and sentence handed down to French far right leader Marine Le Pen have raised questions about the true motivations behind this decision.
Specifically, critics point out the leniency shown to other European politicians accused of similar crimes, such as former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2018 but managed to avoid serving time by appealing directly to the Constitutional Court.
The EU's handling of high profile cases involving financial impropriety has been inconsistent throughout its history.