France’s culture minister to be tried on corruption charges

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is accused of carrying out lobbying for car giant Renault while serving as a member of the European Parliament (Ludovic MARIN) (Ludovic MARIN/AFP/AFP)

France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati is to go on trial accused of corruption and abuse of power while she was a member of European Parliament, a judicial source told AFP Tuesday.

Dati, a 59-year-old who holds ambitions to become Paris mayor next year, was charged in 2019 on suspicions she lobbied for the Renault-Nissan carmaking group while at the European Union institution. She denies the allegations.

Dati is accused of accepting 900,000 euros ($1.06 million at current rates) in lawyer’s fees between 2010 and 2012 from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan, but not really working for them, while she was an MEP from 2009 to 2019.

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

Investigations have sought to determine whether she was in fact lobbying in the European Parliament for the carmaker, an activity that is forbidden.

French investigating magistrates also ordered that Carlos Ghosn, the ex-tycoon of Renault-Nissan, be tried, the judicial source said.

The 71-year-old, who has been living in Lebanon for years after escaping arrest in Japan, has also rejected the charges against him.

A hearing on September 29 will decide on the date of the trial, the source said.

According to another source following the case, the trial could be held after the Paris municipal elections, which will be held in March next year.

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

Dati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, has repeatedly sought without success to have the charges against her quashed.

Ghosn, the former chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, before being sacked by Nissan’s board in a unanimous decision.

He jumped bail late the following year and made a dramatic escape from Japan hidden in an audio-equipment box, landing in Beirut, where he remains as an international fugitive.

Both Japan and France have sought his arrest.

clw-gd/ah/jh/dc

PARIS — French Culture Minister Rachida Dati and former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn will face trial on charges of corruption, a Ministry of Justice official confirmed.

Dati is being charged with “passive corruption and influence peddling by a person holding elective public office within an international organization (in this case, the European Parliament),” the official, who was granted anonymity in accordance with standard practice for reporting on certain criminal cases, said in a statement.

Ghosn, who is considered a fugitive by both France and Japan after his daring escape from Tokyo in 2019, is accused of “abuse of power by a company executive,” “breach of trust” and “active corruption and influence peddling.”

The statement claims that Dati received €900,000 between 2010 and 2012 from a Renault subsidiary, officially for consultancy work. However, investigators allege she performed little or no actual consulting and was instead paid to use her position at the time as a member of the European Parliament to lobby on behalf of Renault and its then-chairman.

First published in Der Spiegel, Germany, January 21, 2019 | By Chappatte

First published on POLITICO.eu, Belgium, January 26, 2019 | By Rytis Daukantas

First published on POLITICO.com, U.S., January 23, 2019 | By Matt Wuerker

First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, January 23, 2019 | By Joep Bertrams

First published in De Volkskrant, The Netherlands, January 23, 2019 | By Jos Collignon

First published on Caglecartoons.com, Bulgaria, January 24, 2019 | By Christo Komarnitski

First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, January 18, 2019 | By Tom Janssen

First published in The Augusta Chronicle, U.S., January 22, 2019 | By Rick McKee

First published in Columbia Missourian, U.S., January 22, 2019 | By John Darkow

First published in The Boston Globe, U.S., January 23, 2019 | By Christopher Weyant

France — National parliament voting intention

National Rally Rassemblement national EP affiliation: PfE

New Popular Front Nouveau Front populaire EP affiliation: Left – GUE/NGL

Ensemble Ensemble/La République En Marche!/Renaissance EP affiliation: RE

The Republicans/Union of the Right and Centre Les Républicains/Union de la droite et du centre EP affiliation: EPP

Miscellaneous Left Divers gauche EP affiliation: New unaffiliated

Miscellaneous Right Diverse droite EP affiliation: New unaffiliated

What is Poll of Polls and how does it work? Read more here.

Advertisement

France — 2024 general election

2022 2024 Click on a party to form a majority Group Seats Change Votes New Popular Front (NFP) 188 +57 26.3 % Ensemble (ENS) 161 -76 24.7 % National Rally Alliance (RN) 142 +53 37.1 % Les Républicains (LR) 48 -13 6.2 % Other 38 -21 5.6 % Group Seats Votes Ensemble (ENS) 237 37.7 % New Ecological and Social People’s Union 131 30.8 % National Rally (RN) 89 17.3 % Les Républicains (LR) 61 7.0 % Other 59 7.2 %

First round results 2024 33.3% RN 28.6% NFP 20.9% ENS 10.6% Other 6.6% LR National Rally Alliance (RN) New Popular Front (NFP) Ensemble (ENS) Other Les Républicains (LR) Turnout: 66.71% National Rally Alliance (RN) (33.3%) National Rally (RN) 29.3% affiliated with National Rally (RN aff.) 3.95% New Popular Front (NFP) (28.6%) Communist Party (PCF) 2.34% France Unbowed (LFI) 11.7% Greens (EELV) 5.34% Socialist Party (PS) 9.25% Ensemble (ENS) (20.9%) Democratic Movement (MODEM) 3.96% Horizons (HOR) 3.58% Renaissance (REN) 13.4%

Second round results 2022 2024 41.1% 237 seats ENS 22.7% 131 seats NUPES 15.4% 89 seats RN 10.6% 61 seats LR 10.2% 59 seats Other Ensemble (ENS) New Ecological and Social People’s Union National Rally (RN) Les Républicains (LR) Other 577 / 577 seats assigned Voter participation: 71.99% Ensemble (ENS) (41.1%) Democratic Movement (MODEM) 6.9% Horizons (HOR) 3.85% Renaissance (REN) 26.9% New Ecological and Social People’s Union (22.7%) Communist Party (PCF) 2.6% France Unbowed (LFI) 17% Greens (EELV) 6.43% Socialist Party (PS) 4.8% 32.6% 188 seats NFP 27.9% 161 seats ENS 24.6% 142 seats RN 8.3% 48 seats LR 6.6% 38 seats Other New Popular Front (NFP) Ensemble (ENS) National Rally Alliance (RN) Les Républicains (LR) Other 577 / 577 seats assigned Voter participation: 66.63% New Popular Front (NFP) (32.6%) Communist Party (PCF) 1.4% (-3) France Unbowed (LFI) 9.9% (+6) Greens (EELV) 5.1% (+11) Socialist Party (PS) 10% (+40) Ensemble (ENS) (27.9%) Democratic Movement (MODEM) 5.3% (-11) Horizons (HOR) 4.5% (-3) Renaissance (REN) 14.9% (-62) National Rally Alliance (RN) (24.6%) National Rally (RN) 32.1% (+36) Républicains à droite (RN aff.) 5%

Advertisement

France — President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating

First published on POLITICO.eu, Belgium, December 8, 2018 | By Rytis Daukantas

First published in Der Spiegel, Germany, December 2, 2018 | By Chappatte

First published on POLITICO.com, U.S., December 3, 2018 | By Matt Wuerker

First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, December 4, 2018 | By Joep Bertrams

First published on Caglecartoons.com, The Netherlands, December 6, 2018 | By Tom Janssen

First published in Latvijas Avize, Latvia, December 3, 2018 | By Gatis Sluka

First published in The Charlotte Observer, U.S., December 6, 2018 | By Kevin Siers

First published in The Columbus Dispatch, U.S., December 6, 2018 | By Nate Beeler

First published in The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, U.S., December 5, 2018 | By Steve Sack

First published in The Augusta Chronicle, U.S., December 6, 2018 | By Rick McKee

First published in The Boston Globe, U.S., December 5, 2018 | By Christopher Weyant