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3d ago

French Culture Minister and Ex–Renault Chief Referred to Trial on Corruption Charges

Closing a six-year probe into suspected lobbying, the judges’ order sets the stage for a September hearing to decide the court date.

Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn poses during the opening of Beirut Sports Festival in Beirut, Lebanon May 23, 2024. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military ceremony on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2025. (Photo by MOHAMMED BADRA / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED BADRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • On July 22, investigating judges formally referred Rachida Dati and Carlos Ghosn to a Paris criminal court on charges of corruption, influence peddling and breach of trust.
  • Dati is accused of passive corruption and influence peddling over €900,000 in consultancy fees paid by a Renault subsidiary during her 2009–2019 term as a European Parliament member.
  • Ghosn faces counts of active corruption, abuse of power and breach of trust but remains at large in Lebanon following his 2019 escape from Japanese authorities.
  • A hearing on September 29 will determine when the trial will begin, with legal experts expecting proceedings to start after Paris’s March 2026 municipal elections.
  • Dati denies all wrongdoing and plans to appeal the referral order while French authorities continue to seek Ghosn’s extradition from Lebanon.