Former French culture minister Rachida Dati has gone on trial in Paris over allegations that she accepted payments from a Renault-Nissan subsidiary while serving as a member of the European Parliament.
Dati, 60, appeared before a Paris criminal court on Sept 16 to face charges including passive corruption and influence-peddling. She has denied all allegations and maintains that she worked exclusively as a lawyer for the company.
The case centres on €900,000 in payments Dati received between 2009 and 2013 from Renault-Nissan BV, a Netherlands-based subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
Prosecutors allege that the payments were not simply legal fees but were used to conceal lobbying work on behalf of Renault-Nissan. At the time, Dati was serving as a member of the European Parliament, where lobbying activities of this kind were restricted.
A legal agreement signed in 2009 provided for Dati to receive an annual fee of €300,000. Prosecutors argue that the contract was used to disguise lobbying activities, while Dati’s lawyers say she provided genuine legal services.
The court is expected to examine the nature of the work Dati carried out and whether her activities in the European Parliament were influenced by her relationship with Renault-Nissan.
Dati’s lawyers have described the prosecution’s allegations as unfounded and said their client worked exclusively in her capacity as a lawyer. Dati has repeatedly sought to have the charges dismissed.
Former Renault-Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn is also being tried in connection with the case. He is facing allegations including active corruption and influence-peddling and is being tried in absentia because he remains in Lebanon after fleeing Japan in 2019.
Ghosn has denied wrongdoing and has said he was prepared to participate in the proceedings by video link. He has also requested that the trial be postponed, arguing that he was not properly served with the summons.
The trial is scheduled to continue through Sept 28. Dati faces a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, a fine of up to €450,000 and a possible ban on holding public office if convicted.
The proceedings are separate from other investigations involving Dati, including allegations concerning undeclared payments from energy company GDF Suez and the declaration of jewellery and watches when she entered government. She has denied wrongdoing in those matters as well.
Dati remains mayor of Paris’s seventh arrondissement. She previously served as justice minister under President Nicolas Sarkozy before returning to government as culture minister under President Emmanuel Macron.
The trial will now focus on whether the €900,000 paid to Dati represented legitimate legal work or concealed prohibited lobbying activities. No verdict has been reached, and Dati remains presumed innocent unless found guilty by the court.
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