The charges date back to when Rachida Dati was a European MP and allege she accepted lawyer's fees
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
The charges date back to when Rachida Dati was a European MP and allege she accepted lawyer's fees
French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is to go on trial accused of corruption and abuse of power while she was a European Parliament member. Photo / Mohammed Badra, pool, AFP
France's Culture Minister Rachida Dati is to go on trial accused of corruption and abuse of power while she was a European Parliament member, a judicial source told AFP.
Dati, a high-profile minister who holds ambitions to become Paris mayor next year, was placed under investigation in 2019 on suspicion she lobbied for the Renault-Nissan car group while at the European Union institution.
French investigating magistrates also ordered that Carlos Ghosn, the former Renault-Nissan chairman and chief executive, be tried, a judicial source said.
Ghosn, 71, who has been living in Lebanon for years after escaping arrest in Japan, has rejected the charges against him.
Dati, 59, also denies the allegations, and lashed out at some of the investigating magistrates on her case, accusing them of 'trampling' on her rights.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Debt and deceit: Couple flee country amid unpaid bills
By Tracy Neal, Open Justice multimedia journalist An acquaintance of a couple who ran French bakery Le Posh said they appeared to have fled the country suddenly, leaving a household of personal items, including a 40-year collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world. A civil claim against Veronica and Didier Crevecoeur over unpaid rent on commercial premises in Nelson has lifted the lid on a trail of debt and deceit left by the couple. NZME recently revealed how the pair failed to appear in the Nelson District Court in June for a hearing in which they were ordered to pay more than $29,000 in unpaid rent, damages and legal costs to the owners of a building where they ran one of their bakeries. Other people claimed they, too, had been left out of pocket after dealings with the couple who arrived in New Zealand around 2018. Now, two more people have come forward saying they are also owed money. I need your help Software engineer Steve, who lived near the Crevecoeurs in an exclusive area of Nelson's port hills, considered the couple as friends. 'At some point, Veronica came to see me - I think it was in November last year. She called me and said, 'I need your help, can I come to see you'?' Steve alleged that Veronica then told him a 'very strange story' about her father, and someone she knew in Spain, and how they needed about 3000 to 4000 Euros ($NZ5800 to $NZ7804) to send. He said she was very convincing, but he did not have that kind of money to lend. In the days before the Crevecoeurs left, Steve said Veronica sent him another message, asking again for money. He alleged she needed almost $1000 to cover what he believed might have been rent. 'I didn't send the money, but she was very insistent. 'She sent me many messages in a way that was very strange.' Steve said he began to get suspicious, but finally relented and gave Veronica a couple of hundred dollars. 'She was saying, 'I will pay you back tomorrow, I will pay you back tomorrow', and then she sent me more messages asking for more (money).' Steve arranged to pay $300 via a bank transfer, so he had a record, then tried to reach the couple a few days later, but says he got no reply. The Crevecoeurs had left, without paying it back, Steve said. Steve understood the couple flew to Perth where they had family, a few days after his final communication with them on February 20 this year. He said he was curious about why she was not responding to his text messages, so he went to the home they rented. He found them gone, and the landlord sorting through a stack of expensive clothes, a huge collection of shoes, and the large collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world that they had left behind. Latin band left out of pocket Nelson-based Italian/Kiwi musician, Raffaele Bandoli said the Latin band he played in was left out of pocket when the Crevecoeurs failed to pay in full after hiring them to mark France's Bastille Day at an event in Blenheim in July 2019. Bandoli said the band, Los Galanes, was paid a $1100 deposit for the $2245 gig, but he claims they never saw the rest of it. Bandoli said band leader and founder, Jose Luis Perez, paid individual band members from his own pocket. Los Galanes, which at times has been a 10-piece band, was then a seven-piece. 'He was such a responsible and nice person that he paid all the members of the band, regardless,' Bandoli said. He wanted to speak out, in honour of Perez, who died suddenly in March last year, while travelling in Europe with his partner and band administrator Rebecca Knox. Knox said Perez always paid his musicians a set fee, but the 'biggie' for them was Veronica Crevecoeur. 'At first, she was really lovely to deal with,' she said. The band covered its own costs travelling from Nelson to Blenheim, the event went well and the Crevecoeurs seemed pleased. An invoice was sent, but she claims there was no reply. Another statement was sent, they tried contacting the Crevecoeurs by phone, but still nothing, Knox said. They hired a debt collector to recover the money, but when he went to serve them the notice in Blenheim, the premises were empty. Knox said Perez had pleaded with Veronica to pay the remainder of the fee. 'Jose would leave messages saying, 'Veronica, this is really urgent, for the survival of the band'.' When she noticed the shop, Le Posh pop up in Nelson, it was 'a massive red flag'. Knox was then floored when she saw the second Le Posh open up near Nelson's Tāhunanui Beach. The Crevecoeurs moved to Nelson from Marlborough around 2021. The opening of the second store was the beginning of the end of their New Zealand chapter. Le Posh: Unpaid rent The property investment firm, Tawero Holdings (No 2) Ltd, from whom the Crevecoeurs leased the second premises in November 2022, lodged court action when they abandoned the lease, owing $13,175 in rent and outgoings. A spokesperson for Tawero claimed the couple were masters of deceit. He said that taking legal action was a decision not made lightly but 'a lot of deception' had been at play. 'We are not novices at this, and we were taken in.' Tawero Holdings sought, and was granted, a summary judgment of $22,547 against the Crevecoeurs, plus several thousand more in costs associated with re-letting the premises, plus damages. A final dinner before they were gone Steve decided to share his story, after reading about what else they had done. He and his wife had shared a few dinners with the Crevecoeurs, at each others' homes, or at a nearby Thai restaurant. Their last dinner together was earlier this year, when the Crevecoeurs brought French food to share, and some drink. He believed they had Australian citizenship, and planned to spend six months there and six months in France where they owned a small house, near Dieppe, where Didier was from. 'They want to split their time in France between there and Paris, because Veronica really loves Paris,' Steve said. NZME has been unable to locate the Crevecoeurs for comment.
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Couple leave behind trail of debt and deceit
By Tracy Neal, Open Justice multimedia journalist An acquaintance of a couple who ran French bakery Le Posh said they appeared to have fled the country suddenly, leaving a household of personal items, including a 40-year collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world. A civil claim against Veronica and Didier Crevecoeur over unpaid rent on commercial premises in Nelson has lifted the lid on a trail of debt and deceit left by the couple. NZME recently revealed how the pair failed to appear in the Nelson District Court in June for a hearing in which they were ordered to pay more than $29,000 in unpaid rent, damages and legal costs to the owners of a building where they ran one of their bakeries. Other people claimed they, too, had been left out of pocket after dealings with the couple who arrived in New Zealand around 2018. Now, two more people have come forward saying they are also owed money. I need your help Software engineer Steve, who lived near the Crevecoeurs in an exclusive area of Nelson's port hills, considered the couple as friends. 'At some point, Veronica came to see me - I think it was in November last year. She called me and said, 'I need your help, can I come to see you'?' Steve alleged that Veronica then told him a 'very strange story' about her father, and someone she knew in Spain, and how they needed about 3000 to 4000 Euros ($NZ5800 to $NZ7804) to send. He said she was very convincing, but he did not have that kind of money to lend. In the days before the Crevecoeurs left, Steve said Veronica sent him another message, asking again for money. He alleged she needed almost $1000 to cover what he believed might have been rent. 'I didn't send the money, but she was very insistent. 'She sent me many messages in a way that was very strange.' Steve said he began to get suspicious, but finally relented and gave Veronica a couple of hundred dollars. 'She was saying, 'I will pay you back tomorrow, I will pay you back tomorrow', and then she sent me more messages asking for more (money).' Steve arranged to pay $300 via a bank transfer, so he had a record, then tried to reach the couple a few days later, but says he got no reply. The Crevecoeurs had left, without paying it back, Steve said. Steve understood the couple flew to Perth where they had family, a few days after his final communication with them on February 20 this year. He said he was curious about why she was not responding to his text messages, so he went to the home they rented. He found them gone, and the landlord sorting through a stack of expensive clothes, a huge collection of shoes, and the large collection of souvenir 'bells' from around the world that they had left behind. Latin band left out of pocket Nelson-based Italian/Kiwi musician, Raffaele Bandoli said the Latin band he played in was left out of pocket when the Crevecoeurs failed to pay in full after hiring them to mark France's Bastille Day at an event in Blenheim in July 2019. Bandoli said the band, Los Galanes, was paid a $1100 deposit for the $2245 gig, but he claims they never saw the rest of it. Bandoli said band leader and founder, Jose Luis Perez, paid individual band members from his own pocket. Los Galanes, which at times has been a 10-piece band, was then a seven-piece. 'He was such a responsible and nice person that he paid all the members of the band, regardless,' Bandoli said. He wanted to speak out, in honour of Perez, who died suddenly in March last year, while travelling in Europe with his partner and band administrator Rebecca Knox. Knox said Perez always paid his musicians a set fee, but the 'biggie' for them was Veronica Crevecoeur. 'At first, she was really lovely to deal with,' she said. The band covered its own costs travelling from Nelson to Blenheim, the event went well and the Crevecoeurs seemed pleased. An invoice was sent, but she claims there was no reply. Another statement was sent, they tried contacting the Crevecoeurs by phone, but still nothing, Knox said. They hired a debt collector to recover the money, but when he went to serve them the notice in Blenheim, the premises were empty. Knox said Perez had pleaded with Veronica to pay the remainder of the fee. 'Jose would leave messages saying, 'Veronica, this is really urgent, for the survival of the band'.' When she noticed the shop, Le Posh pop up in Nelson, it was 'a massive red flag'. Knox was then floored when she saw the second Le Posh open up near Nelson's Tāhunanui Beach. The Crevecoeurs moved to Nelson from Marlborough around 2021. The opening of the second store was the beginning of the end of their New Zealand chapter. Le Posh: Unpaid rent The property investment firm, Tawero Holdings (No 2) Ltd, from whom the Crevecoeurs leased the second premises in November 2022, lodged court action when they abandoned the lease, owing $13,175 in rent and outgoings. A spokesperson for Tawero claimed the couple were masters of deceit. He said that taking legal action was a decision not made lightly but 'a lot of deception' had been at play. 'We are not novices at this, and we were taken in.' Tawero Holdings sought, and was granted, a summary judgment of $22,547 against the Crevecoeurs, plus several thousand more in costs associated with re-letting the premises, plus damages. A final dinner before they were gone Steve decided to share his story, after reading about what else they had done. He and his wife had shared a few dinners with the Crevecoeurs, at each others' homes, or at a nearby Thai restaurant. Their last dinner together was earlier this year, when the Crevecoeurs brought French food to share, and some drink. He believed they had Australian citizenship, and planned to spend six months there and six months in France where they owned a small house, near Dieppe, where Didier was from. 'They want to split their time in France between there and Paris, because Veronica really loves Paris,' Steve said. NZME has been unable to locate the Crevecoeurs for comment.
NZ Herald
7 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US farmers fear Trump immigration crackdown threatens food security
'There's a whole food chain involved,' from field workers to truck drivers to people working in packing houses and in sales. 'It's just, everybody's scared,' she said - even a multi-generational American like her. 'I'm nervous and I'm scared, because we're feeling like we're being attacked.' Other farmers contacted by AFP declined to speak to the media, saying they feared potential reprisals from the Trump administration. Worker shortages The agricultural sector has for years been trying to find permanent solutions for its perennial labour shortages, beyond issuing temporary permits for migrant workers. 'Some of the work we have is seasonal,' Tate says. 'But really, around here, we need workers that are year-round.' The number of government-certified positions for temporary agricultural workers practically tripled between 2014 and 2024, Department of Labour statistics show, underlining just how much American agriculture depends on foreign workers. On top of that, some 42% of farm workers are not authorised to work in the United States, according to a 2022 study by the Department of Agriculture. Those numbers line up with the struggles many farmers go through to find labour. They say US citizens are not interested in the physically demanding work, with its long days under extreme temperatures, rain and sun. Against that backdrop, Tate warns that removing people who are actually doing the work will cause immeasurable damage. Not only will it harm farms and ranches, which could take years to recover, it will also send food prices soaring, and even endanger US food security, possibly requiring the country to start importing provisions that may previously have been grown at home, she says. 'What we really need is some legislation that has the type of programme that we need, and that works for both the workers, that ensures their safety, it ensures a fair playing field when it comes to international trade, as well as domestic needs,' Tate said. 'Everyone loses' Some farmworkers agreed to speak to AFP on condition of not being fully identified, for fear of being arrested. 'All we do is work,' a worker named Silvia told AFP. She saw several friends arrested in a raid in Oxnard, about 16km west of Ventura. The 32-year-old Mexican lives in constant fear that she will be the next one picked up and, in the end, separated from her two US-born daughters. 'We're between a rock and a hard place. 'If we don't work, how will we pay our bills? 'And if we go out, we run the risk of running into them,' she said, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. 'The way the government is working right now, everybody loses,' said Miguel, who has been working in the fields of southern California for three decades. The 54-year-old said that workers are losing jobs, farm owners are losing their labour, and as a result, the United States is losing its food. Miguel has worked in various agriculture sector jobs, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. All of them were 'very hard jobs,' he said. Now he feels like he has a target on his back. 'They should do a little research so they understand. The food they eat comes from the fields, right?' he said. 'So it would be good if they were more aware, and gave us an opportunity to contribute positively, and not send us into hiding.' - Agence France-Presse
