Marine Le Pen appeared in court Tuesday to appeal her 2027 embezzlement conviction, denying any wrongdoing.

She seeks to overturn a March ruling that found her guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to hire aides from 2004 to 2016, which resulted in a five-year ban from office, house arrest, a suspended sentence, and a €100,000 fine.

Le Pen argued that neither she nor her party were informed that the hiring practices violated any rules and emphasized that nothing was concealed.

The courtroom was crowded with reporters and members of the public as the case drew attention for its potential impact on her presidential ambitions, the AP has reported.

The European Parliament’s lawyer challenged her claims, arguing it is contradictory to deny scrutiny of her work while questioning the Parliament’s review process.