French former minister on trial over alleged Renault-Nissan lobbying

Rachida Dati, the former French minister, is standing trial in Paris on corruption charges linked to alleged lobbying for Renault‑Nissan. The 61‑year‑old, who served as justice minister under Nicolas Sarkozy and culture minister under Emmanuel Macron, is accused of receiving €900,000 (approximately £770,000) from the automobile alliance between 2009 and 2013. A declaration signed in 2009, shortly after Dati left the Sarkozy government and won a seat in the European Parliament, stated that the payment compensated her for legal services rendered to the company. Magistrates, however, contend that the document was a façade designed to conceal payments for lobbying activities. Dati maintains her innocence. Prosecutors allege that Carlos Ghosn, Renault‑Nissan’s former chief executive, enlisted Dati to advocate for the company’s interests within the European Parliament and to arrange meetings with Sarkozy, who remained head of government until 2012. Ghosn, now 72, is also facing trial; he denies any wrongdoing and will not appear in court, having resided as a fugitive in Lebanon since 2019. Dati’s defence team intends to challenge the charges. If convicted, she could receive a maximum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment, a substantial fine, and a five‑year prohibition from holding public office. Such a penalty might compel her to relinquish the mayoralty of Paris’s affluent 7th arrondissement, a post she has occupied since 2008. After returning to national office as culture minister in 2024, Dati resigned in February to launch a campaign for the Paris mayoralty. She was defeated by Socialist candidate Emmanuel Grégoire, whose campaign highlighted her impending trial as a point of criticism. Anti‑corruption organisations participating as civil plaintiffs in the case argue that stricter legal limits on governmental lobbying in France are necessary. Patrick Lefas of Transparency International France remarked, “The matter illustrates the risks of national decision‑making being captured by private interests.”