France, Jan. 13 -- The appeal comes after a French court last year barred Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), from running for office for five years over a European Parliament fake jobs scam.

It found her, along with 24 former European Parliament lawmakers, assistants and accountants as well as the party itself, guilty of operating a "system" from 2004 to 2016 using European Parliament funds to employ RN staff in France.

I had "no sense of having committed the slightest offence when, in 2004, 2009, and 2014, we hired our assistants," the 57-year-old former European lawmaker said as her appeal trial opened in Paris.

The three-time presidential candidate, who has always maintained her innocence, instead sought to shift a...