Rachida Dati seeks reinstatement to judiciary before corruption trial
The former Justice Minister is scheduled to face trial from 16 to 28 September on corruption and influence-peddling charges. She is simultaneously seeking a return to the judiciary.
Return to courtroom and judiciary: the dual legal developments for Rachida Dati
Former Justice Minister Rachida Dati has sought reinstatement to the judiciary just days before her trial on corruption charges before the Paris correctional court. According to Le Temps, the appointment will be made following the opinion of the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM) on a position as "first assistant to the central justice administration" within the ministry.
"Ms Dati has sought reinstatement as a magistrate, as is her right, and will soon be assigned under the standard transparency procedure for magistrates," the Justice Ministry stated. The opinion of the CSM, which the Justice Minister has undertaken to follow, is expected within two weeks to a month, following examination of any appeals from other candidates.
Trial scheduled for 16 to 28 September
Rachida Dati is due to appear from 16 September before the Paris correctional court on charges of passive corruption and passive influence-peddling. She is accused of an alleged corruption pact and illegal lobbying activities at the European Parliament, where she sat as an elected representative from 2009 to 2019, for the benefit of Renault and its former chief executive Carlos Ghosn, who is now a fugitive in Lebanon and who has also been referred to trial.
Between 2009 and 2013, Rachida Dati received 900,000 euros under a fixed fee arrangement for legal services. The defendant, aged 60, maintains that she conducted only perfectly legal legal work. She faces a possible ten years' imprisonment and a five-year bar from office.
Leading judges' union denounces "contradictory message"
The reinstatement bid prompted an immediate response from the leading judges' union. "The judicial institution is heavily criticised by political leaders, notably regarding ethics and the accountability of magistrates, but also on the need to preserve the image of the institution," said Ludovic Friat, president of the Union of Magistrates (USM). Yet, he added, "this reinstatement plan, just days before a high-profile criminal trial concerning the person in question, sends a contradictory message".
Defeated in the Paris municipal elections last March, Dati currently retains her mandate as LR mayor of Paris's 7th arrondissement, a post she has held for several years.
Other legal cases in parallel
Rachida Dati's name appears in several other proceedings at less advanced stages. In May, she was given the status of assisted witness in a case connected to the main matter, linked to a possible private investigation targeting a couple who had filed a complaint against her in the Renault-Carlos Ghosn case. This status is more favourable than that of suspect.
Judges are also investigating suspicions of conflicts of interest with Azerbaijan and Qatar during her term as a Member of the European Parliament. This aspect led to raids on Rachida Dati's homes and her 7th arrondissement town hall in mid-December 2025.
The financial and anti-corruption division of Paris judicial police is also conducting an investigation into suspicions of failure to declare jewellery to the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life. These investigations follow complaints received, notably in June 2025, by the Paris public prosecutor's office.
A career built in Sarkozy's wake
Rachida Dati began her political career alongside Nicolas Sarkozy, serving as a justice adviser at the Interior Ministry from 2002. Spokesperson for the winning 2007 presidential campaign, she was appointed Justice Minister upon Sarkozy's election and carried out significant reforms, including the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences and the reform of the judicial map.
After a period in the political wilderness, she made an unexpected return to government under Emmanuel Macron, who appointed her Culture Minister in 2024. She left this position one month before the municipal elections in March 2026, when she was ultimately defeated in Paris.
Source: Le Temps