French prosecutors seek two-year sentence for Rachida Dati in Renault graft case

French prosecutors have sought a two-year prison sentence for former culture minister Rachida Dati, to be served at home with an electronic tag, in a corruption case involving charges of lobbying for Renault-Nissan when she was a European lawmaker. The high-profile case centres on a contract signed in 2009 between Dati, who previously served as justice minister, and fugitive businessman Carlos Ghosn, then head of Renault-Nissan.

Issued on: 28/09/2026 - 14:02 Modified: 28/09/2026 - 14:46

France prosecutors on Monday sought two years with an electronic tag and a five-year ban on public office for ex-culture minister Rachida Dati in a trial on corruption charges linked to dealings with the Renault-Nissan group.

They sought a four-year jail term for Carlos Ghosn , the fugitive former Renault-Nissan chief now living in Lebanon , who is being tried in absentia as part of the same trial in Paris.

The decision is expected to be announced in several months' time.

One of the most prominent figures on the French right, Dati, 60, resigned as culture minister in February to concentrate on the Paris mayoral race in March but suffered a bruising defeat.

Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire won city hall but Dati remains mayor of the capital's wealthy seventh district.

She stands charged with corruption and influence peddling over alleged lobbying for Renault-Nissan between October 2009 and February 2013 while she was a member of the European Parliament .

She became an MEP after serving as justice minister between 2007 and 2009 under right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy .

She has been accused of accepting 900,000 euros (around $1.0 million) in lawyers' fees from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan.