Trial of Rachida Dati: the interrogation continues

The interrogation of Rachida Dati during her trial for corruption and influence peddling continues this Monday

The mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris was questioned by the Paris Criminal Court on Monday afternoon, after a first three-hour interrogation on Thursday evening, during which she insisted that she "practiced as a lawyer".

What you need to know

Always under fire for questions. Rachida Dati is questioned again, Monday September 21, from 1:30 p.m., on the third day of her trial. The former minister is notably on trial for corruption and influence peddling before the Paris Criminal Court.

In this case, which dates back to 2009, he is accused of having received lawyer's fees amounting to 900,000 euros, over three years, until May 2012, from the company Renault-Nissan VB (RNVB), supposed to serve as support for the alliance between the French and Japanese manufacturers, without having provided any real work. In return, Rachida Dati would have lobbied for Renault in the European Parliament, where she sat as an MEP. Follow our live stream.

“I signed a lawyer’s contract and I practiced as a lawyer.” Thursday, Rachida Dati was questioned about the contract signed with RNVB as a lawyer, at the heart of the corruption accusations. The former minister did not keep records attesting to her work. “There were elements that I could not keep, and it is not a criminal offense!”, she defended herself. According to him, the former CEO of Renault, Carlos Ghosn, was well aware of the terms of the signed fee agreement.

The shadow of Carlos Ghosn, absent at his trial. The former CEO of Renault, on the run to Lebanon since and targeted by an arrest warrant, did not appear in court on Wednesday at the opening of the hearing, which he requested to be postponed. The court decided to try him anyway. Dismissed alongside Rachida Dati for corruption and influence peddling, he is suspected of being the corrupter.

A sentence of ten years in prison and five years of ineligibility incurred. The two defendants face up to ten years in prison. Carlos Ghosn also faces a fine of 375,000 euros, Rachida Dati a fine of 450,000 euros, or half of the fees collected. The mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris could also lose her mandate. She could in fact be sentenced to an additional penalty of ineligibility, of a maximum of five years, which may be accompanied by provisional execution.