Rachida Dati, a former French culture minister, has gone on trial in Paris on corruption charges linked to her dealings with the Renault-Nissan carmaking group. Dati, 60, is accused of illegal lobbying, specifically accepting €900,000 (£770,000) in lawyer’s fees from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan while she was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
French prosecutors argue that Dati was paid to lobby for the carmaking group, an activity prohibited for MEPs, and that there is a lack of evidence for her having carried out legal work. They contend that a legal services contract signed in 2009 between Dati and Carlos Ghosn, the former Renault-Nissan chief, which paid Dati an annual fee of €300,000, was used to disguise lobbying.
Dati's legal team has denied all corruption allegations, stating she worked "exclusively" as a lawyer for the Renault-Nissan subsidiary. Dati was placed under investigation in 2019 on suspicion of illegally lobbying for Renault-Nissan between October 2009 and February 2013.
Carlos Ghosn, 72, is also on trial in absentia in the same case. If convicted, Dati could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to €450,000, and a potential five-year ban from holding public office.