extremely rare in political affairs, much less so in all-comers

The Paris prosecutor's office requested the provisional execution of the sentence (5 years in prison including 3 suspended, 300,000 euros fine and 5 years of ineligibility) which it demanded on Wednesday against Marine Le Pen in the so-called “FN parliamentary assistants” affair. The court will render its decision in 2025, on a date which will be known on November 27 following the defense pleadings.

If this request from the prosecution is extremely rare in matters of political-financial disputes, it is not exceptional in comparison with ordinary people. According to statistics from the Ministry of Justice, 48% of prison sentences handed down by the criminal court to an adult were carried out immediately in 2021, a figure up 14% since 2019. Nearly one sentence out of two therefore becomes effective as soon as pronounced.

Implementation without delay is almost systematic following an immediate appearance, where prison sentences are legion…