The prospect of a trial is becoming clearer for Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture since January 11, 2024, then a member of Gabriel Attal's government. Since 2021, she has been indicted for “ corruption passive » et « passive influence peddling by person invested with a public elective mandate », for facts which allegedly occurred when she was a Member of the European Parliament.
Suspicious fees
For ten years, between 2009 and 2019, Rachida Dati sat in the European People's Party group in the European Parliament. The period that interests investigators is, however, shorter, between 2010 and 2012, when today's Minister of Culture was a substitute member of yesterday's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.
In the space of a few months, Dati would have received €900,000 in fees, for 900 hours of work claimed by the lawyer. These would have been invested in an assistance mission by Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault-Nissan, to “ the group's international expansion policy, particularly in the countries of the Middle East and the Maghreb».
Remember that MEPs can exercise the profession of lawyer, compatible with their mandate. But lobbying is completely prohibited for them.
According to the elements of the investigation revealed by The World the documents attesting to Dati's legal services would be rather rare: no annual activity reports, expense reports for trips abroad, ” lack of documentation “, of ” detailed invoices ”, or even “ written termination » to mark the end of his mission. And, a priori, relatively few meetings between the main interested party and Carlos Ghosn, also indicted.
Rachida Dati's defense has tried, in recent months, to assert the statute of limitations and the age of the facts, in order to close the current investigation: in July 2024, the investigating chamber of the Court of Appeal of Paris rejected the appeal. At the time, Dati's lawyers assured that an appeal to the Supreme Court was planned. In reality, two appeals were filed by Olivier Pardo and Olivier Baratelli, Dati's lawyers, but dismissed by the Court of Cassation last October.
And « infamous indictment»
In an indictment delivered on November 13, and consulted by The World the National Financial Prosecutor's Office considered that the elements were sufficiently solid to justify the referral to the criminal court of Rachida Dati, for ” concealment of abuse of power and breach of trust » et « corruption and influence peddling liabilities per person invested with a public elective mandate within an international organization ».
The ball is now in the court of the investigating judges, who must decide whether or not to refer the Minister of Culture to the criminal court.
In a press release published on November 15, Rachida Dati describes the indictment as “ they slander “, esteems it “ shocking in more than one way » and recalls that it does not constitute “ a conviction ». « The national financial prosecutor told me, straight in the eye, that the incriminations were unfounded based on the documents I presented to him. He then considered them as conclusive “, she still assures in her text.
She also emphasizes that her lawyer agreement “ was […] known to everyone » within the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The testimonies of several executives of the group, however, suggested the opposite to the investigators: “ I was not aware of this contract. I do not know for which missions Rachida Dati was paid by RNBV », indicated one of those questioned to the judges. “ I didn't know that Rachida Dati would have intervened in Morocco. […] I was never notified of his intervention», underlines another, cited by The World .
READ – Rachida Dati, a multimillionaire Minister of Culture
Rachida Dati also deplores, in her text, that several witnesses were not heard by magistrates, referring to senior leaders of RNVB [holding néerlandaise de Renault-Nissan, NdR]the official authorities of the countries where she intervened as part of her mission as a lawyer, as well as the head of the delegation of French EPP deputies to the European Parliament.
« I have no doubt that this affair has been exploited by my political opponents in defiance of all principles. My life has always been a struggle, both personal and professional. I have already survived the most unhealthy or even the most dangerous attacks “, she emphasizes again.
Bird name swaps
She ends by introducing herself as a “ collateral victim » d’« a settling of scores between Messrs. Sénard and Carlos Goshn [sic, son nom s’écrit Ghosn, NdR] “. Jean-Dominique Sénard, now CEO of Renault, has already been targeted by the Minister of Culture. In March 2024, the latter accused him of “ continuous, permanent and constant criminal behavior », « obstruction of justice » et « failure to testify on behalf of an innocent person “. She accused him of hiding group documents, which would exonerate him.
In April, Jean-Dominique Sénard responded with a complaint for “ slanderous denunciation » against Rachida Dati, emphasizing on this occasion, reports Liberation : «Neither Renault nor Mr. Jean-Dominique Senard have in their possession any element likely to provide proof of his alleged services, and Ms. Rachida Dati knows this perfectly because she herself has been unable since 2019 to provide them.»
Photograph: Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture (Laurent Vu / Ministry of Culture and Communication, CC BY-SA 3.0 FR) and Carlos Ghosn, then CEO of Renault-Nissan Alliance, in 2017 (World Economic Forum, CC BY -NC-SA 2.0)
By Antoine Oury
Contact : [email protected]
