French former minister on trial over alleged Renault-Nissan lobbying

French former minister Rachida Dati has gone on trial in Paris for corruption, accused of taking money from Renault-Nissan in return for political influence. Dati, 61, who was justice minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy and culture minister under Emmanuel Macron, is known to have been paid €900,000 (£770,000) by the car giant between 2009 and 2013. According to a contract signed in 2009, shortly after she ceased being a minister under Sarkozy and was elected as a member of the European Parliament, the payment was for legal services performed for the company. But magistrates argue the contract was used to disguise payments for lobbying work. Magistrates believe Renault-Nissan's former CEO Carlos Ghosn recruited Dati to lobby on the company's behalf in the European Parliament, and to facilitate contacts with Sarkozy who was head of state until 2012.