The threat of a lawsuit is greater than ever for Rachida Dati The French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) confirmed on Friday that it had requested that the emblematic Minister of Culture and the former all-powerful boss of Renault-Nissan Carlos Ghosn be tried for corruption and influence peddling.

The two defendants are contesting the charges in a legal case that has been under investigation in Paris since 2019 and has high political stakes, as Rachida Dati is one of the leading figures in the French government. Michel Barnier. Rachida Dati, 58, is suspected of having received.., “in complete confidentiality, if not in total opacity”.900,000 euros between 2010 and 2012 for consultancy services recorded in a fee agreement signed on October 28, 2009 with RNBV, a subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but without having actually worked, while she was a lawyer and Member of the European Parliament (2009-2019).

Infamous” indictment

The investigations also sought to determine whether this fee agreement could have served to conceal a lobbying activity at the European Parliament, forbidden to all elected representatives. After initially being placed under the more favorable status of assisted witness, Rachida Dati was indicted in July 2021. In detail, the PNF confirmed on Wednesday that it had requested a trial against her for receiving and handling abuse of power and breach of trust, corruption and passive influence peddling by a person invested with a public elective mandate within an international organization, the European Parliament.

In a press release, Rachida Dati denounced a “infamous indictment and “shocking”. The Minister refers to a “instrumentalization of this affair by (her)political opponents in defiance of all principles”. and assures “with serenity and determination”.. “An indictment is only the public prosecutor’s vision of a case. It is not a reflection of reality”.Rachida Dati’s lawyers told AFP. “This indictment runs counter to all the evidence we have provided: testimonies, exhibits, documents…” which, according to Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo, attest to “innocence of their client. “There is now a legal deadline during which we will respond point by point to counter this fragmented and inaccurate view.”said the two councils.

Minister of Culture ofEmmanuel Macronwho was also Minister of Justice under Nicolas Sarkozy, considers these facts to be time-barred, and has already lodged a number of appeals to put an end to the proceedings. To no avail. Carlos Ghosn, 70, has been the target of an international arrest warrant since April 2023. He has also been the subject of another arrest warrant since 2022 in ongoing investigations in Nanterre, notably for misuse of corporate assets and organized money laundering in connection with the Omani distributor Suhail Bahwan Automobiles.

“Blocked on Lebanese territory”

In Paris, the former car magnate is facing trial on charges of abuse of authority by a company director, breach of trust, corruption and active influence peddling, in a case in which the Renault company has joined as a civil party. The man, who holds Lebanese, French and Brazilian nationalities, was arrested at the end of 2018 in Japan, where he was due to stand trial for alleged financial malfeasance when he was head of Renault-Nissan. He found refuge in Lebanon in late 2019 after a rocky escape from Japan. His lawyers, Jacqueline Laffont-Haïk, Cloé Fonteix, Martin Reynaud and Léon Del Forno, told AFP that their client was being held in custody. “blocked on Lebanese territory by virtue of a court order”..

Carlos Ghosn “contests the legality of the arrest warrant on the basis of which the public prosecutor’s office is requesting his transfer, as it constitutes a misuse of procedure. Lastly, he points out that it is impossible for him to have access to the elements of the case file and to participate in the investigation, in flagrant violation of the rights of the defense”.they added. The final decision on whether to hold a trial rests with the Paris investigating judges in charge of the case, with the PNF specifying that an appeal is still pending before the investigating chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal.

Three people had been granted witness status in this case: Mouna Sepehri, Carlos Ghosn’s former right-hand man, Christian Husson, Renault’s legal director at the time of the events, and criminologist Alain Bauer. The public prosecutor’s office stated that“a dismissal has been requested in relation to the contracts concluded between RNBV and AB Conseil”. of Alain Bauer, who had received one million euros between 2012 and 2016 for security consulting activities.