Orange Mayor and RN Deputy Condemned to Five Years Ineligibility for Embezzlement

On January 26, 2026, Yann Bompard, the mayor of Orange, and Marie-France Lorho, a National Rally (RN) deputy representing Vaucluse's 4th constituency, were sentenced for embezzlement and misuse of public funds. Both received five years of ineligibility alongside suspended prison sentences, with significant fines and reimbursement orders.

Bompard was sentenced to 18 months suspended prison and fined €40,000 for concealment related to holding a fictitious job as parliamentary assistant to Lorho. The Assembly National discovered that Bompard had received nearly €75,000 gross and €43,000 net remuneration from November 2021 to February 2023 without performing the duties. His sentence's immediate enforcement requires him to resign from all mandates, including mayor of Orange and councilor of the departmental council.

Lorho received similar penalties: 18 months suspended prison, a €10,000 fine, and five years of ineligibility. However, while barred from running in municipal elections, she may continue to serve as deputy until the end of her current mandate. The court found Lorho guilty of failing to end Bompard's contract after he assumed mayoral duties, contributing to the unlawful fund diversion.

The trial underscored the gravity of offenses committed by elected officials. The correctional court in Marseille, with the Assembly National as a civil party, ordered both to reimburse nearly €75,000 to the legislative body. The presiding judge emphasized that as "elected representatives of the Republic," Bompard and Lorho had a heightened duty of exemplary conduct, and deemed them "not fit to exercise their functions" with immediate effect.

This ruling marks a significant judicial intervention in political accountability for public fund mismanagement and highlights the repercussions for elected officials engaged in corruption-related offenses.