6 populist leaders facing lawfare around world

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Marine Le Pen convicted by French court, barred from presidential run in 2027

Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Rally, and several other party members were found guilty of embezzling public funds on Monday. (Reuters.)

Vice President JD Vance condemned European countries last month for a lack of commitment to democracy as many of them lash out with lawfare attacks against populist leaders.

Vance's critique applies to more than just Europe, however, as populist leaders across the globe are facing legal troubles from outright election bans to criminal convictions.

Here are the top populist leaders facing the most pressure.

1. Marine Le Pen, France

Right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen and several members of her ascendant National Rally party were convicted of embezzlement on Monday, and she herself has been banned from running in the 2027 presidential election.

Populist leaders from across Europe condemned the verdict, pointing to her significant lead in the polls.

"Those who fear the judgment of voters often seek reassurance from the courts. In Paris, they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to remove her from political life," Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said following Le Pen's verdict.

"We are not intimidated," he added. "Full speed ahead, my friend!"

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French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen was convicted by a Paris court and barred from running for office for five years. (Associated Press)

2. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil

Brazil’s Supreme Court accepted charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro last week over an alleged attempt to remain in office after his 2022 election defeat, ordering the former leader to stand trial.

All five justices ruled in favor of accepting the charges leveled by Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup that included a plan to poison his successor, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and kill a Supreme Court judge.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrives for a luncheon with senators from his support base at the National Congress building in Brasilia, Brazil, on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.? (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and says he’s being politically persecuted.

Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years. When combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars.

3. Calin Georgescu, Romania

Calin Georgescu won the first round of Romania's presidential elections earlier this year, only for the election to be canceled due to allegations of Russian collusion in Georgescu's favor.

Georgescu was then taken into custody and has since been banned from running in the election, despite leading in polls.

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Calin Georgescu has been banned from running for president in Romania, despite leading in polls. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

4. Matteo Salvini, Italy

Italian Vice Premier Matteo Salvini faced years of legal trouble due to accusations that he had illegally detained roughly 100 migrants during his term as interior minister in 2019.

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The 2019 incident saw migrants held offshore on a humanitarian rescue ship. Italian courts dropped the charges against Slavini in December.

"Protecting our country’s borders from smugglers is not a crime," Salvini said shortly after the verdict. "This is a victory for the League and for Italy."

5. Imran Khan, Pakistan

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was jailed last month on corruption charges, though many of his supporters have compared his situation to that of President Donald Trump and the charges he has faced.

A Pakistani court sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 and seven years in jail after finding them guilty of corruption. They were convicted for allegedly accepting land as a bribe through the Al-Qadir Trust, which they had set up while Khan was in office. Khan, however, maintains his innocence, describing the events as a "witch hunt" in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital. It is just one of the more than 100 cases he is facing.

President Donald Trump greets then-Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, during his first term as president. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Khan’s plight has also been highlighted by longtime Trump ally and adviser Richard Grenell, who took to social media late last year when he tweeted, "Free Imran Khan!"

6. Donald Trump, United States of America

President Donald Trump has faced waves of legal trouble from his political opponents stretching back nearly a decade to his first administration.

First he faced down the now-discredited Russia collusion claims before once again facing impeachment for negotiating aid for Ukraine. Once out of office, federal and state governments targeted his business dealings with investigations, eventually resulting in his conviction for falsifying business records, a verdict his allies say was bogus.

President Donald Trump is seen at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Trump has acknowledged that populist leaders like him are facing challenges across the globe. He remarked on Le Pen's "very important" situation in a statement Tuesday.

"She was banned for five years and she was the leading candidate," Trump said. "That sounds like this country, that sounds very much like this country."

Fox News' Avi Kumar, Benjamin Weinthal and the Associated Press contributed to this report.