In a continued legal battle stemming from the Renault–Nissan case, French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati submitted a new request on 29 July 2025 to annul her referral to the criminal court. Her legal team argues that procedural irregularities, particularly surrounding a disputed legal document known as the “phantom appendix” (cote fantôme), undermine the legitimacy of the charges.
Dati, who served as legal counsel to Renault between 2010 and 2012, is contesting allegations of corruption, influence peddling, and misuse of corporate assets, charges she firmly denies. The center of her defense rests on a 900,000-euro legal services agreement signed by then-CEO Carlos Ghosn, which she maintains was legitimate and properly documented.
Her lawyers assert that the contract was validated by Renault’s legal department and that the corresponding payments were transparently recorded in the company’s financial records. They argue that the absence of hidden compensation nullifies claims of delayed legal prescription, meaning the case should be dismissed on statute-of-limitations grounds.
Complicating matters is a discrepancy over whether Ghosn was shown the same contract during his June 2021 testimony in Beirut. He reportedly did not recognize the copy presented due to poor image quality. Dati’s defense contends that the so-called “phantom appendix”, a version with visible legal department endorsements, was excluded from formal review, thus violating her right to a fair defense.
The 151-page judicial referral document (ORTC) firmly denies these claims, suggesting that Ghosn and the investigators may have misinterpreted visual cues in the document (e.g., sticky notes for signature placement) as formal endorsements. Nevertheless, the defense highlights persistent unanswered procedural questions and emphasizes a timeline of correspondence in late 2024 and early 2025 seeking clarity.
While the appeal filed with the Investigative Chamber faces no mandatory hearing deadline, and prior challenges have been dismissed, the legal effort underscores ongoing concerns about due process in the handling of both Dati and Ghosn’s cases.
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