French Ex-Minister Rachida Dati Faces Trial in Renault-Nissan Corruption Scandal

The Paris criminal court opened proceedings against Rachida Dati on Wednesday afternoon. The former justice and culture minister faces charges including passive corruption, passive influence-peddling, and the concealment of abuse of power and breach of trust.

Central to the case is the €900,000 she received between 2009 and 2013 from a Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance during her tenure as a Member of the European Parliament.

The opening session was notably marked by the absence of Carlos Ghosn. The former head of Renault-Nissan, who has resided in Lebanon since fleeing Japan in 2019, is also facing prosecution, particularly for active corruption and influence-peddling.

Tried in absentia, Ghosn requested in a letter to the court that the hearing be postponed, claiming he had not been properly served. He expressed his willingness to participate in the proceedings via videoconference.

Over six half-days of hearings extending to 28 September, the court will scrutinize the relationship between Rachida Dati and Carlos Ghosn, and above all, the nature of the services allegedly corresponding to the €900,000 paid by RNBV, the Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance.

The Central Role of the Fees

Rachida Dati maintains that she worked as a lawyer for the group and denies any lobbying activities within the European Parliament. Her legal team denounces what they describe as an “intellectual construct” by the prosecution, insisting that their client has “exclusively” performed legal work.

Conversely, the prosecution argues that the 2009 fee agreement was utilized to conceal lobbying activities. Investigators have noted a paucity of documents that could, in their view, establish the reality and scope of the legal services provided. They further contend that the remuneration was “totally disproportionate” to the work for which evidence has been found.

Investigators are specifically examining several interventions made by Rachida Dati in the European Parliament, including three questions submitted in 2012 and 2013 concerning the automotive sector. The prosecution believes her parliamentary activities may have been influenced by her professional ties with Renault.

Rachida Dati faces up to ten years in prison and a €450,000 fine, alongside a potential ban on holding public office. She remains presumed innocent until the court delivers its decision.

Carlos Ghosn, for his part, will not be present in the dock. The former executive, who disputes the allegations against him, remains in Lebanon. His absence adds a particular dimension to a trial expected to help the court determine whether the €900,000 paid to Rachida Dati truly corresponded to legal services or whether it concealed lobbying activity, which was prohibited for MEPs at the time.

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