French ex-minister Rachida Dati goes on trial over €900,000 Renault-Nissan corruption allegations

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Rachida Dati, who served as France's justice minister under Nicolas Sarkozy and culture minister under Emmanuel Macron, has appeared in a Paris court accused of taking €900,000 from Renault-Nissan in return for political lobbying while she was an MEP. Prosecutors argue a 2009 legal services contract was used to disguise payments for influence — including facilitating contacts with Sarkozy himself. Dati's lawyers insist she worked exclusively as a legitimate legal adviser to the carmaker's Dutch subsidiary.

Disgraced former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, 72, faces the same charges but will be tried in absentia from Lebanon, where he has been a fugitive since 2019.

If convicted, Dati faces up to 10 years in jail, a large fine, and a five-year ban on public office — which would strip her of her Paris mayoral role.

Dati lost a bid to become mayor of Paris in 2024, with her forthcoming trial used as a campaign argument against her.