Investigations Reveal Alleged Undeclared Payments to French Culture Minister Rachida Dati
Documents suggest Rachida Dati received €299,000 in undeclared fees from GDF Suez while serving as an MEP.
An investigation has unveiled documents from a law firm suggesting that Rachida Dati, the current French Minister of Culture, allegedly received €299,000 in undeclared fees from GDF Suez during 2010-2011 while serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and as an attorney.
This claim is articulated in a forthcoming episode of the magazine "Complément d'enquête," set to air on France 2, alongside a report in _Le Nouvel Observateur_.
The investigation associates these payments with Dati's favorable positions towards the gas sector during her tenure in the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019.
The Minister has consistently denied any contractual link with the gas company, which was rebranded as Engie in 2015, and has dismissed claims of a conflict of interest.
Dati's lawyers, Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo, reiterated that she has never acted as an attorney for GDF Suez, stating that "Madame Dati has provided all her explanations and was NEVER GDF Suez's lawyer."
The documents in question stem from the accounting records of a law firm that was liquidated in 2019, showing the receipt of two transfers of €149,500 each from GDF Suez, dated July 2010 and February 2011. Subsequently, these amounts were disbursed to Rachida Dati with the notation "Dati honoraires GDF Suez," according to the investigation's findings.
Engie has not yet responded to inquiries regarding these allegations.
Dati has faced scrutiny concerning her links to GDF Suez in various investigations, including questions raised by judges overseeing the Carlos Ghosn case.
In late 2013, centrist MEP Corinne Lepage expressed surprise at Dati's support for major energy companies, including GDF Suez, in their call to end subsidies for renewable energy sources.
In her comments for "Complément d'enquête," Lepage directed attention to Dati’s amendments presented in Strasbourg that favored gas companies.
In the ongoing Ghosn case, Dati has been under investigation since 2021 concerning €900,000 in attorney fees she allegedly received between 2010 and 2012 from a Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
Authorities are examining whether these payments could be concealing lobbying activities, which are prohibited for MEPs.
Dati has denied any wrongdoing.
This claim is articulated in a forthcoming episode of the magazine "Complément d'enquête," set to air on France 2, alongside a report in _Le Nouvel Observateur_.
The investigation associates these payments with Dati's favorable positions towards the gas sector during her tenure in the European Parliament from 2009 to 2019.
The Minister has consistently denied any contractual link with the gas company, which was rebranded as Engie in 2015, and has dismissed claims of a conflict of interest.
Dati's lawyers, Olivier Baratelli and Olivier Pardo, reiterated that she has never acted as an attorney for GDF Suez, stating that "Madame Dati has provided all her explanations and was NEVER GDF Suez's lawyer."
The documents in question stem from the accounting records of a law firm that was liquidated in 2019, showing the receipt of two transfers of €149,500 each from GDF Suez, dated July 2010 and February 2011. Subsequently, these amounts were disbursed to Rachida Dati with the notation "Dati honoraires GDF Suez," according to the investigation's findings.
Engie has not yet responded to inquiries regarding these allegations.
Dati has faced scrutiny concerning her links to GDF Suez in various investigations, including questions raised by judges overseeing the Carlos Ghosn case.
In late 2013, centrist MEP Corinne Lepage expressed surprise at Dati's support for major energy companies, including GDF Suez, in their call to end subsidies for renewable energy sources.
In her comments for "Complément d'enquête," Lepage directed attention to Dati’s amendments presented in Strasbourg that favored gas companies.
In the ongoing Ghosn case, Dati has been under investigation since 2021 concerning €900,000 in attorney fees she allegedly received between 2010 and 2012 from a Dutch subsidiary of the Renault-Nissan alliance.
Authorities are examining whether these payments could be concealing lobbying activities, which are prohibited for MEPs.
Dati has denied any wrongdoing.
