Dati trial: former minister presents herself as "ordinary MP" to dismiss corruption allegations
Rachida Dati appeared before the Paris correctional court on corruption and influence-peddling charges. She downplayed her role in the European Parliament.
Rachida Dati downplays her role in the European Parliament before Paris judges
According to 20minutes.fr, Rachida Dati appeared on Monday before the Paris correctional court, where she is being prosecuted for corruption and influence-peddling. The former Justice Minister is suspected of receiving 900,000 euros from a Renault-Nissan subsidiary in exchange for illegal lobbying within the European Parliament between 2009 and 2013.
Standing in the dock, wearing a black trouser suit, Dati repeatedly stressed how little time she spent in Brussels and how marginal her involvement was. "I was very rarely present," she stated, despite having been a Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019. Her defence strategy consisted of presenting herself as an "ordinary MP", even as a poor performer in the European chamber.
She indicated that she only travelled to Brussels for plenary sessions, which assured her a monthly income of 7,600 euros. According to her, the bulk of the work fell to her two assistants. "They prepared all my interventions for me, I never changed anything," she declared before a packed courtroom. She added that her assistants chose the topics to address themselves. The trial president, Claire Saas, expressed surprise: "You didn't give them guidelines?" "On written questions, never," the defendant replied.
Three written questions at the heart of suspicions
Three written questions concerning the automotive sector are fuelling suspicions of lobbying. The court sought to understand why one of them — relating to vehicle noise levels — had been transmitted in advance to Carlos Ghosn's secretariat. Dati mentioned confusion between the file creation date and the sending date. She acknowledged that the document had indeed been transmitted to Renault, but maintained that this was standard practice. "Written questions are sent to all relevant sectors," she explained.
The president then asked her whether she had taken care to send this same question to all car manufacturers, not just Renault. "My assistants must have done so," Dati replied, evading the question.
A contract presented as legal work
From the outset of the matter, the former Keeper of the Seals has maintained that the fee agreement signed with Renault was intended exclusively to remunerate her legal activity — specifically her legal advice for the group's expansion in the Maghreb, Iran and Turkey. "I'm not an amateur, I've had other clients. Why would I have been corrupted? Why would I have done lobbying?" she said.
Few documents, however, attest to the reality of this legal work. Dati stated that Carlos Ghosn preferred "oral reports" and that she had not kept any "archives beyond five years".
The question of conflicts of interest
"I was never in a position of conflict of interest," she insisted. The court noted that she had waited a year after becoming a lawyer to inform Parliament. "In accordance with parliamentary procedure," she dismissed it. Regarding her failure to disclose Carlos Ghosn as a client, she invoked professional privilege.
An email sent by one of her European assistants on her legal practice email — rather than on her deputy's email — was also examined. This message suggested accompanying a "white note", subsequently found at Renault, with a handwritten note stating: "We achieved a fine victory this week on the text concerning vehicle noise levels." The court questioned Dati about this blurring of boundaries. She rejected any irregularity, stating that the term "we" referred to her political group and that the white note was nothing confidential. "It was a sort of newsletter, a mix of agenda and public decisions. Everything was public," she maintained.
Rachida Dati faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of 450,000 euros.
Source: Google News LU FR