Dati trial in Paris: former minister denies any lobbying for Renault and Carlos Ghosn
Rachida Dati, tried for corruption at Paris criminal court, contests having carried out any lobbying activity on behalf of Renault.
Third day of hearing: Dati faces questions on her missions for Renault
Rachida Dati, former justice minister and ex-MEP, has appeared before the Paris criminal court since last Wednesday in a case involving corruption and abuse of influence. She is being tried alongside former Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn for having received 900,000 euros from the car manufacturer during her term in the European Parliament. According to rtl.fr, which is covering the hearings live, the third day of the trial was marked by sharp confrontations between the court president and the defendant.
"Never any contact with any lobbyist"
The court president recalled at the start of the hearing the tightly regulated framework for lobbying in the European Parliament, before questioning Rachida Dati about a written question she had tabled on 9 July 2012 concerning the noise level of vehicles. The magistrate read aloud the wording of the question, which mentioned the need for "legal certainty" for car manufacturers.
Rachida Dati stated that this question stemmed from discussions taking place at the time on the financial crisis. "It is a written question so necessarily validated. I ask a question about predictability and stability," she declared. She then reiterated: "I have never had any contact with any lobbyist whatsoever."
The court president also questioned her about the reasons why "the operational staff in Morocco never heard about" her, according to interviews with Renault employees in Morocco. Rachida Dati maintained her position: "These interviews do not say it is impossible that she intervened," whilst acknowledging that "everyone says it is improbable". She clarified the nature of her alleged mission: "With regard to my contract in Morocco, the urgency for Carlos Ghosn was to ensure the financing, the continuity and the stability of the financing" and to ensure that "the relationship of trust with the King of Morocco was not broken because of the vicissitudes of the Alliance project."
An MEP specialist in transparency at the bar
German MEP Daniel Freund, engaged on issues of transparency and fighting corruption in the European Parliament, was called to testify. He recalled that it is now prohibited for MEPs to receive additional income, whilst observing that some of his colleagues continue to receive "from companies that have lobbying activities".
Questioned by the Anticor association, a civil party to this trial, Daniel Freund indicated that an MEP is not required to obtain approval from their political group to table a written question: "In my group, no — each deputy is free." He also considered that the sole mention of the status of "lawyer" in Rachida Dati's declarations of interests "does not provide enough details" in light of the Parliament's code of conduct.
The defence lawyers then took over to question him in turn.
Ghosn's former assistant recalls the "Maghreb" mission
Anja Wernersbach, former personal executive assistant to Carlos Ghosn, was then called to the stand — called by Rachida Dati's defence. She stated that she had never been heard before and said she was "pleased" to be able to testify. Her role consisted notably of organising Carlos Ghosn's schedule, which generally alternated between two weeks in France for Renault and two weeks in Japan for Nissan.
Anja Wernersbach stated that she recalled Carlos Ghosn having announced: "Ms Dati is going to work for us, for the Maghreb countries, in particular Morocco, Tangiers, because she knows these countries well." She specified that she did not have knowledge of the exact content of the mission: "I did not go into those details."
She recalled a first meeting with Rachida Dati in 2009, shortly after the latter had left the Justice Ministry. Carlos Ghosn had mentioned to the investigating judges a meeting as early as 2007, but Anja Wernersbach indicated that she did not have any recollection of it.
On the question of an email that Rachida Dati allegedly sent to Carlos Ghosn, the former assistant clarified, at the request of the defence counsel Me Antoine Beauquier, that she did not recall this message. She did, however, receive the deputy's newsletters on the European Parliament, but had been told to "throw them in the bin".
Questioned by the National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) on the possible impact of the "spying scandal" on her former boss's working methods, she acknowledged that there was. She also confirmed that Rachida Dati called her regularly to request meetings with Carlos Ghosn: "Most of the time, it was Ms Dati who called."
Before leaving the stand, Anja Wernersbach indicated that she had informed Carlos Ghosn of her coming to court and asked him what she should say. "Tell the truth," he allegedly replied.
Hearing to resume on Wednesday
Monday's hearing concluded without all parties being able to question the defendant. The trial will resume on Wednesday, with questions from the various parties who have not yet been able to address Rachida Dati, as well as the hearing of eight witnesses. An additional half-day is scheduled for Thursday morning to hear notably representatives of non-governmental organisations.
Source: Google News LU FR