Le Pen had previously maintained her innocence and claimed the case was politically driven, but on Tuesday, her demeanor and statements were noticeably different from the defiant stance she displayed during the initial 2024 trial.
When questioned by the judge about her appeal, Le Pen stated that any criminal act committed was not intentional, contrasting her previous fervent claims of innocence.
“I want to tell the court that if a crime occurred… so be it, but we never felt we committed even the slightest offense,” she said.
Le Pen avoided reporters’ questions upon arriving and leaving the court and refrained from informal conversations with the press during breaks, unlike her approach in the first trial.
In a rare statement before the trial, Le Pen told reporters on Monday that her “only line of defense for this appeal will remain the same as during the initial trial: telling the truth.”
“The case will be reassessed by new magistrates. I hope to be better understood and convince them of my innocence,” she said.
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