French ex-culture minister Rachida Dati goes on trial in Carlos Ghosn graft case

France's ex-culture minister Rachida Dati is to go on trial Wednesday on corruption charges linked to dealings with the Renault-Nissan group, just months after her bruising defeat in the Paris mayoral race. One of the most prominent figures on the French right, Dati, 60, will stand trial with the fugitive Carlos Ghosn, the disgraced former Renault-Nissan chief, who will be tried in absentia. Dati has been dogged by controversies for much of her political career. She resigned as culture minister in February to concentrate on the Paris mayoral race, but lost to Socialist rival Emmanuel Grégoire in March. Read moreFrench mayoral elections: Fractured vote reshapes alliances ahead of runoff In 2019, she was placed under investigation on suspicion of lobbying for Renault-Nissan between October 2009 and February 2013 when she was a member of the European parliament. She became an MEP after serving as justice minister between 2007 and 2009 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. In 2021, she was charged with corruption and influence peddling over her dealings with Ghosn. She is accused of accepting 900,000 euros (around $1 million) in lawyer's fees from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-N...