A French Schengen visa was issued to an applicant with a history of refusals in several countries and a previous four-year Schengen entry ban.
The applicant had previous visa refusals from Italy, France and Cyprus, as well as a four-year entry ban. France was chosen for the new application, with documents and a detailed itinerary prepared around the individual circumstances. The visa was issued.
The source does not state when the ban ended or whether it was still in force at the time of the new application.
Practical takeaway: previous refusals do not always rule out a new visa. An active entry ban, however, needs its own legal assessment and cannot be overcome just by a well-prepared itinerary.