French Culture Minister Rachida Dati is facing scrutiny following several reports submitted to the Paris prosecutor's office. At the center of the controversy: the alleged failure to declare valuable jewelry in her official asset disclosures. According to the newspaper Libération, Dati allegedly omitted 19 pieces of jewelry, valued at €420,000, which she is said to have owned since 2017. If confirmed, the omission would put her in violation of rules set by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP), which monitors the financial declarations of public officials in France. «She will have to regularize the situation if this is true», said government spokesperson Sophie Primas. The former Justice Minister, who is of Moroccan descent, denies any wrongdoing, saying she has «nothing to regularize». She has filed a complaint against journalist Laurent Léger, who led the investigation, accusing him of bias and of having political ties to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Another report, this time from Socialist Senator Rémi Féraud, alleges that Dati failed to declare fees she received between 2010 and 2011 while serving as a Member of the European Parliament. Her lawyers argue that she «was never the lawyer for GDF Suez», the company named in the investigation. These revelations come as Dati is already under judicial investigation in a separate case involving alleged corruption tied to her professional dealings with Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Renault-Nissan. Despite mounting legal pressure, Dati maintains her position and continues to deny all accusations. The Paris prosecutor's office has not yet indicated what steps it may take in response to the reports.
