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French Culture Minister Rachida Dati, of Moroccan origins, is under investigation for allegedly failing to declare several valuable pieces of jewelry to the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP). According to AFP, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday that an inquiry has been opened into part of the minister’s assets, following a report published a few months ago by Libération.
In June, Dati was flagged for irregularities in her asset declarations, particularly for omitting nineteen pieces of jewelry with an estimated value of €420,000, which she is said to have owned since 2017. French law requires political figures to declare jewelry items individually worth more than €10,000. The ministry confirmed that the case has been assigned to the financial and anti-corruption brigade (BFAC) of the judicial police.
Since May, Dati has denied any wrongdoing. Speaking on France Inter, she insisted she has «nothing to regularize». «I have never been found at fault on any declaration. So it’s not going to start today», she said, adding that she is considering a defamation lawsuit. Meanwhile, the media outlet Blast claimed the undeclared jewelry is actually worth €600,000, a figure Dati dismissed as «absurd».
Separately, the minister is also due to appear before the Paris criminal court on charges of corruption and influence peddling in connection with former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn.
