Dati trial: explosive tensions with civil parties, "leave me alone!"
The fourth day of questioning of Rachida Dati for corruption degenerated into sharp exchanges with lawyers for Renault and Transparency International.
Contentious hearing for Rachida Dati facing civil parties
The fourth day of questioning of Rachida Dati at the Paris tribunal bar ended on Thursday in an electric atmosphere, according to france24.com. The former Culture Minister, prosecuted for corruption, is accused of having illegally engaged in lobbying at the European Parliament on behalf of Renault-Nissan between October 2009 and February 2013.
This hearing day, initially intended to last only one day, ultimately stretched over four days. Dati faced an entire morning of offensive questions from civil parties — whose lawyers contest their presence at the trial — namely car manufacturer Renault and several anti-corruption associations.
"We have tea, we're among Arabs"
The lawyers for Renault, Messrs Philippe Goossens and Kami Haeri, opened the exchanges. A few minutes suffice for the atmosphere to turn sour. When questioned about her international legal expertise — which earned her a fee agreement of 300,000 euros per year with Renault-Nissan — Dati replied with irony: "It's funny, only you are competent and the rest of the world knows nothing."
She continued, increasingly irritated: "You want to reduce my legal work to conversation, we have tea, we're among Arabs... Yesterday I was asked the question: can she read a contract, is she really a lawyer? I can read and write."
President Claire Saas attempted to calm spirits, appealing for "serene and courteous" exchanges. She eventually resolved to suspend the hearing for twenty minutes so that "everyone can regain their composure".
Sexist tweets and settling of scores
Upon resumption, the hoped-for calm did not last. When questioned by Mr Haeri on the details of United Nations sanctions against Iran — a subject on which she maintains she worked for Renault-Nissan — Dati lost her temper at his "honeyed tone" and saw it as a "settling of scores".
She then shifted to personal terrain, reproaching the lawyer for having published "sexist tweets" against her between 2010 and 2013. "I had to intervene with your boss for that to stop," she declared, saying she was ready to communicate these messages to the judges. "We have a sufficiently voluminous file, at this stage we can do without it," sighed President Saas.
"Leave me alone!"
The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) accuses Dati of having entered into a corruption pact and exercised illegal influence within the European Parliament, of which she was an elected member, for the benefit of Renault-Nissan. The 60-year-old Paris elected representative maintains she only performed legal work, legally compatible with her mandate, for former chief executive Carlos Ghosn — now sheltering in Lebanon and judged in his absence.
When the lawyer for Transparency International France, Ms Clémence Witt, dredged up old newspaper articles and raised questions about the defendant's professional background and qualifications, Dati crossed a new threshold. Standing upright at the bar, her voice biting, she let out: "Madam, I did not have your life. At 14 years old, I started working. Then there were many extremely violent moments. I do not have a sociological reading of my path, leave me alone!"
The following questions met with a wall. "I have already answered," she replied systematically, describing some remarks as "totally obtuse" or "value judgements", without a glance at her interlocutor.
Continuation of proceedings
The trial continues with the civil parties' submissions, before the prosecution's requisition and defence submissions expected on Monday.
Source: Google News MA