Former French minister Rachida Dati has appeared in court in Paris facing corruption charges, accused of accepting funds from Renault-Nissan in exchange for political influence.
Dati, 61, who previously served as justice minister under Nicolas Sarkozy and culture minister under Emmanuel Macron, is alleged to have received €900,000 (£770,000) from the automobile manufacturer between 2009 and 2013.
According to a 2009 contract signed shortly after she left the Sarkozy cabinet and was elected to the European Parliament, the payment was designated for legal services rendered to the company.
However, prosecutors contend that the contract was utilized to conceal lobbying compensation. Dati maintains her innocence regarding the accusations.
Judges believe that Renault-Nissan’s former CEO, Carlos Ghosn, enlisted Dati to lobby on behalf of the company within the European Parliament and to secure connections with Sarkozy, who held the presidency until 2012.
Ghosn, 72, is also undergoing trial and denies any illicit activities. He will not be present in court, having remained a fugitive in Lebanon since 2019.
Dati’s legal team will challenge the charges, which, if proven, could result in a maximum prison term of ten years, a substantial fine, and a five-year prohibition from holding public office.
Consequently, she may be compelled to relinquish the mayorship of Paris’s affluent 7th district, a position she has occupied since 2008.
Dati returned to national politics in 2024 as culture minister but stepped down in February to pursue the mayoralty of Paris.
She was defeated by Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire following a campaign in which her impending trial was leveraged against her.
Anti-corruption organizations serving as civil plaintiffs in the trial assert that stricter legal regulations are necessary for political lobbying in France.
“This affair highlights the danger of public decision-making being co-opted by private interests,” stated Patrick Lefas of Transparency International France.
