French police have opened an investigation into death threats against a judge and two prosecutors involved in a corruption trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen in which she could be barred from contesting the 2027 presidential election, police and judicial sources said.
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The abuse fits into a pattern of threats against judges, prosecutors and elected officials in France and underlines deep divisions over the case.
Le Pen is front-runner to win the next presidential election, due in April 2027, opinion polls show. She, her National Rally (RN) party and some two dozen party figures are accused of diverting European funds to pay staff in France. They deny the accusations.
Louise Neyton and Nicolas Barret, the prosecutors leading the case, are seeking a five-year ban from public office for Le Pen if she is found guilty. The ban would not be subject to appeal.
A panel of three judges, led by Bénédicte de Perthuis, is due to deliver its verdict on March 31.
Police opened their investigation after Neyton, Barret and De Perthuis received death threats from people writing in the comments section on far-right website Riposte Laïque, four sources from the police and judiciary said.