French judges have ordered Rachida Dati, the French culture minister, and Carlos Ghosn, the former automobile executive, to stand trial on charges of corruption and abuse of power in a case involving consulting fees, a judicial source said, Reuters reported.
French judges made the order on Tuesday, July 22. The French prosecutor’s financial crimes office (PNF) requested in November 2024 that Dati and former Renault-Nissan boss Ghosn be brought to justice as part of a corruption investigation.
When Dati stepped down as justice minister in 2009 to run for the European Parliament, the Renault-Nissan auto alliance hired her as a consultant. But investigators were looking into a consulting fee Dati once received from the alliance.
Culture Minister Dati has denied irregularities in consulting fees received during that period, according to Reuters, and Ghosn, who fled Japan to Lebanon on a private jet, has denied the allegations of misconduct brought against him.
Ghosn has not left Lebanon since 2019 due to an Interpol red notice issued by Japan, and he holds French, Lebanese, and Brazilian citizenship.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to LCI television on Tuesday evening after the judges’ order, Dati said, “I am not going to resign myself. I will fight. I will fight everywhere.”
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When asked if she could remain in government, Dati said, “Have I been condemned? Of course not. That’s it.”
France’s 42-year-old Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin told TF1 television, “I cannot comment on legal proceedings, but it is clear that Rachida Dati – who is a great politician and someone I would very much like to see become mayor of Paris – is presumed innocent, and we should not be too quick to condemn people.”
Reuters’s reporting contributed to this article.