Former Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, still on the run, skips Paris trial

France's former culture minister Rachida Dati is set to go on trial on Wednesday for corruption charges stemming from her dealings with the Renault-Nissan group. The 60-year-old, one of the most prominent figures on the French right, will face charges alongside fugitive Carlos Ghosn, the disgraced former Renault-Nissan chief. Dati, who is currently the mayor of Paris's wealthy 7th district, denies the allegations.

According to prosecutors, Dati accepted €900,000 in lawyer's fees from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan. The charges come months after her defeat in the Paris mayoral race. Dati has been embroiled in controversies throughout her political career, including a 2019 investigation over lobbying for Renault-Nissan while serving as an MEP.

If convicted, Dati could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to €450,000, and a five-year ban on holding public office. Her legal team maintains that she worked exclusively as a lawyer for the Netherlands-based subsidiary, with the allegations of influence peddling being an artificial construct devised by the prosecution. However, French prosecutors argue that a legal services contract signed in 2009 between Dati and Ghosn was used to disguise lobbying work.