French Prosecutors Seek Four-Year Sentence for Rachida Dati in Renault Corruption Trial
France's National Financial Prosecutor's Office has requested a four-year prison sentence, a 450,000-euro fine, and five-year bans from public office and legal practice against former minister Rachida Dati over 900,000 euros in fees received from Renault.
Prosecution closing arguments
On 28 September 2026, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) delivered four hours of closing requisitions at the Paris judicial court in the trial of Rachida Dati and Carlos Ghosn. Prosecutors asked judges to sentence the former culture and justice minister to four years in prison, including two years to be served under home confinement with an electronic bracelet. In addition to custody, the PNF requested a criminal fine of 450,000 euros and the confiscation of 900,000 euros worth of Dati's assets.
Prosecutor Caroline Genin described the alleged corruption as a direct blow to public integrity during the sixth and final day of hearings.
The behavior you have to judge has caused a manifest injury to democracy, to the trust that citizens can place in elected officials.
Alleged consultancy pact
The prosecution argued that an attorney fee agreement signed on 28 October 2009 between Dati and then Renault-Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn served as a contractual cover for illegal lobbying. Under the arrangement, a Dutch subsidiary of Renault-Nissan paid Dati a fixed annual fee of 300,000 euros before tax, generating 900,000 euros between October 2009 and February 2013 while she served as a member of the European Parliament.
Ms. Dati's motivation here is transparent. For her, it was about seeking supplementary remuneration to what she was receiving as a member of the European Parliament, mayor of the 7th arrondissement, and member of the Council of Paris.
The PNF maintained that genuine legal output was virtually nonexistent, pointing instead to suspicious interventions within European institutions.
- Fee convention signed between Rachida Dati and Carlos Ghosn setting 300,000-euro annual retainer
- Renault-Nissan Dutch subsidiary pays 900,000 euros to Dati while serving as MEP
- National Financial Prosecutor's Office delivers closing requisitions at the Paris tribunal
Defense arguments and judicial fallout
Dati rejected the accusations during testimony, maintaining that her work focused legitimately on Renault's international expansion in the Middle East and the Maghreb. Her defense team insisted that practicing law remained compatible with holding an elected European mandate, stating she exerted no illicit influence in the legislature. Defense attorneys planned to request a full acquittal during their final arguments before the court entered deliberations.
- Asset confiscation
- 900000 €
- Criminal fine
- 450000 €
The requested penalties carry direct consequences for Dati's ongoing public career. Prosecutors asked for a five-year ban on voting and public office eligibility, a five-year ban from civil service, and a five-year ban from legal practice, demanding provisional execution. If judges uphold these measures, Dati would immediately forfeit her position as mayor of Paris's 7th arrondissement. The ruling would also block her scheduled return to the judiciary, where the High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) must rule on her reinstatement following a twenty-year hiatus.
Trial of Carlos Ghosn in absentia
For Carlos Ghosn, who remains in Lebanon following his escape from Japanese authorities, the prosecution requested a separate four-year prison sentence along with the maintenance of an active arrest warrant. The court had previously rejected procedural requests from Ghosn's legal representatives to postpone the proceedings. The judges will take the case into deliberation following the conclusion of closing defense statements, with a verdict expected in the coming months.
