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Rachida Dati

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French politician (born 1965)

Rachida Dati
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of Culture
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 January 2024
Prime MinisterGabriel Attal
Michel Barnier
Preceded byRima Abdul Malak
Minister of Justice
In office
18 May 2007 – 23 June 2009
Prime MinisterFrançois Fillon
Preceded byPascal Clément
Succeeded byMichèle Alliot-Marie
Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris
Incumbent
Assumed office
29 March 2008
Preceded byMichel Dumont
Councillor of Paris
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 March 2008
Constituency7th arrondissement
Member of the European Parliament
In office
14 July 2009 – 1 July 2019
ConstituencyÎle-de-France
Personal details
Born (1965-11-27) 27 November 1965 (age 59)
Saint-Rémy, France
CitizenshipFrance • Morocco
Political partyIndependent (2024–present)
Other political
affiliations		UMP (2006–2015)
LR (2015–2024)
Spouse unknown ​ ​(m. 1992; ann. 1995)​
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Burgundy (MAEs)
Panthéon-Assas University (LLB)
OccupationLawyer • Magistrate • Politician

Rachida Dati (French pronunciation: [ʁaʃida dati]; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician and former magistrate who has been Minister of Culture since January 2024 in the government of Gabriel Attal and government of Michel Barnier.

Dati previously was Minister of Justice from 2007 to 2009 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. A member of The Republicans (LR), she also was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 to 2019, representing Île-de-France. Dati was a spokesperson for Sarkozy during his 2007 presidential campaign. Following his victory, Sarkozy appointed her to the Government.

She was elected to the mayorship of the 7th arrondissement of Paris in 2008, when she also entered the Council of Paris. In the 2020 Paris municipal election, she unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Paris against incumbent Anne Hidalgo. Following the election, she was installed as opposition leader in the Council of Paris.

Early life and education

Rachida Dati (Arabic: رشيدة داتي) was born on 27 November 1965 in Saint-Rémy, Burgundy, to a Moroccan father, a bricklayer named M'Barek Dati (1934–2017), and an Algerian mother, named Fatima-Zohra (died in 2001). Her parents immigrated to France in 1963. She was the second child of eleven in an impoverished family (eight girls and three boys). She spent her childhood in Chalon-sur-Saône.

Even though Dati was raised in a devout Islamic environment, she attended Catholic schools; Dati's own personal religious beliefs have been described as "unclear". When asked about her North African origins, she stated she saw herself first and foremost as a "daughter of France". Dati studied at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, where she received a master's degree in Economics, as well as at Panthéon-Assas University in Paris, where she later received a law degree.

Early career

At the age of sixteen, Dati started working as a maid and as a paramedical assistant. She then worked for three years as an accountant at Elf Aquitaine while at university.

Rachida Dati tried to study medicine, but failed twice in her first year. In October 1985, she completed a DEUG in economics at the University of Dijon.

After meeting Jean-Luc Lagardère in 1990, Dati entered the audit management team of Matra Nortel communication. She later spent a year in London at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in the records management and archiving department. In 1994, she was an auditing supervisor and secretary-general of the bureau of urban development studies at Suez (then Lyonnaise des Eaux). From 1995 to 1997, she worked as a technical advisor at the legal management division of the Ministry of Education.

In 1997, following the advice of Simone Veil and Albin Chalandon, Dati joined and was admitted to the École nationale de la magistrature, a public educational institution which offers courses necessary to become a magistrate. Upon leaving in 1999, she became a legal auditor at the Bobigny tribunal de grande instance (high court). She went on to become judge for collective procedures at the tribunal de grande instance in Péronne and eventually an assistant to the attorney general of the Évry tribunal.

Career in politics

In 2002, Dati became Nicolas Sarkozy's advisor, working for him on an anti-delinquency project. In 2006, she joined the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. On 14 January 2007, she was named spokesperson for Sarkozy on the day he was chosen as UMP candidate for the presidential elections of April 2007.

Minister of Justice, 2007–2009

After Sarkozy's victory on 6 May 2007, she was appointed Minister of Justice, making her the first political figure born to North African immigrant parents to occupy a sovereign ministry in a French government. Her rationalization of the court system was publicly opposed by judicial professionals. Later on, it was recognised by the French Court of Auditors as one of the most ambitious reforms of the judicial institution. When the Sarkozys' marriage began to break up, Dati frequently went on official presidential trips to accompany Nicolas Sarkozy.

On 23 January 2009, Sarkozy announced that Dati would take the second position on the UMP candidate list for the Île-de-France constituency in the European Parliament election in June 2009, to which she was elected. She left her post as minister after being elected as a Member of the European Parliament.

Soon after she left the government, in the summer of 2009, Dati switched to law, becoming a junior magistrate and assistant prosecutor. She also founded a consulting company called "La Bourdonnais consultant," which she had to dissolve at the beginning of 2010 to be able to resume the profession of lawyer, which she had to do by special dispensation (like other former magistrates). She sits on the editorial board of the French version of the Huffington Post, where she writes a weekly column about women's issues.

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2019

A member of the European People's Party group in the European Parliament, Dati served on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the parliament's delegations for relations with the Mashreq countries, to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, and for relations with the Arab Peninsula.

In parliament, Dati was the Parliament's rapporteur on several texts dealing with countering terrorism and the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations. Following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in 2015, she drafted a report into how to prevent the radicalisation of young Europeans. Her parliamentary work also included dealing with the prison systems and conditions in the European Union, and finding solutions to face the migration crisis with an EU common list of safe countries of origin.

In the UMP's 2012 leadership election, Dati endorsed Jean-François Copé.

In the Republicans’ 2017 leadership election, Dati endorsed Laurent Wauquiez.

Career in local politics

On the local level, Dati has been serving as Mayor of the 7th district of Paris and a member of the Council of Paris. On 9 February 2013, Dati announced she was a candidate for mayor of Paris in the 2014 local elections but she later withdrew because "the press has already chosen Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet".

In early 2019, Dati announced her plan to run again for the Paris municipal election in 2020. Since 2020, she has been chairing her party's group in the Council of Paris.

Minister of Culture, 2024–present

On 11 January 2024, Dati made a surprise comeback to national politics, being nominated as Minister of Culture in the government of Gabriel Attal. As a consequence, Les Républicains President Éric Ciotti announced her exclusion from the party.

Controversy

In early 2009, Dati received an anonymous death threat accompanied by a 9 mm bullet.

Soon after Dati left the government in 2009 to stand for the European Parliament, she was hired by the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance as a legal advisor. In 2019, France's financial prosecutor launched an investigation into consulting fees she received from the alliance.

In December 2013, French media reported that Dati had received payments from French energy utility GDF-Suez. In early 2014, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz asked parliamentary services to look into conflict-of-interest concerns, but the inquiry was interrupted by the 2014 election campaign. At the same time, the independent French administrative authority HATVP, France's anti-corruption watchdog, also opened a file on the case. In August 2021, Dati was charged by France's financial crime unit with passive corruption and benefiting from abuse of power. On 27 September 2021, Arte reported how caviar diplomacy led to the rejection of a report on Azerbaijani political prisoners by the European Parliament in 2013. The claim was made that the rejection was due to bribery of EU parliamentarians; Dati stood out as one of the leading voices to reject the report about the state of democracy in Azerbaijan. Her Italian colleague Luca Volontè was sentenced for accepting bribes. Volontè received 2.4 million euros as bribes from a 30 million-euro bribe fund of the Azerbaijani fund to thwart EU guidelines by bribing its institutions.

Personal life

In November 1992, Rachida Dati married a family friend from Algeria, "with whom she had nothing to share", in her words, to put an end to the "recurring pressures" from her family, what she describes as a "forced marriage". The following month, she requested the annulment of this union, which was pronounced in 1995.

In September 2008, Dati announced that she was pregnant and would be a single mother. She revealed her pregnancy to a group of reporters who questioned her about mounting rumours. "I want to remain careful, because (...) I am still in a risk area. I am 42", she was quoted as saying. Her daughter was born in January 2009. As the name of the father was not revealed, many names circulated in gossip magazines. Before her daughter was born, she suffered several miscarriages.

However, in 2012, she started legal action against Dominique Desseigne, the chief executive of Groupe Lucien Barrière, a casino market leader in France, Switzerland and Europe, in order to establish the paternity of her child. In December 2012, a French court ordered Desseigne to undergo a paternity test to see if he fathered Dati's child. After Desseigne refused to undergo the test, a French court decision of 7 January 2016 ruled that Desseigne was indeed the father.

In November 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women, having "blazed a trail for Muslim women and minorities in France".

Distinctions

References

  1. "Qui est Malika Dati, la sœur aînée de Rachida Dati ?". Ohmymag (in French). 12 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  2. (in French) "Municipales 2020 : la Chalonnaise Rachida Dati investie à Paris par Les Républicains", france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr, 7 November 2019.
  3. Purepeople. "Deuxième d'une fratrie de onze enfants, Rachida Dati a toujours été très proche de sa famille. Exclusif - Rachida Dati avec sa famille et ses proches lors d'un brunch familial à la brasserie Le Comptoir Principal dans le 15ème arrondissement à Paris le 26 janvier 2020. Ses cinq soeurs Fatiha, Nadia, Malika, Noura, Najat et son frère étaient présents. En bas à gauche de l'image, sa fille Zohra de dos. © Alain Guizard / Bestimage - Photo". www.purepeople.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. Média, Prisma (14 October 2009). "Rachida Dati, retour en grâce au Grévin - Gala". Gala.fr (in French). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  5. "Sarkozy minister Rachida Dati targets Paris Mayor job". RFI. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  6. (in French) "Rachida Dati, méchamment douée", Le Point, 8 December 2022.
  7. Remy, Jacqueline (2009). Du Rimmel et des larmes (in French). Seuil. p. 52.
  8. "Just who is Rachida Dati?". Arab News. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  9. Auffray, Alain. "Dati, l'ascension courtisane". Libération (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  10. Equivalent to bankruptcy courts in the U.S.
  11. Kerdreux, Gilles "Mme Dati affronte un mécontentement croissant sur la carte judiciaire", LeMonde.fr 11 November 2007
  12. "La carte judiciaire érigée en modèle de réforme par la Cour des comptes - Les Echos". www.lesechos.fr (in French). 11 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  13. Angelique Chrisafis (20 November 2008), The rise and fall of Rachida Dati The Guardian.
  14. France's Dati to quit government, BBC News Retrieved on 23 January 2009
  15. David Keohane (5 June 2019), Ex-minister probed over Renault-Nissan payments Financial Times.
  16. François Labrouillère, "Rachida Dati crée sa société de consultants", Paris Match, 23 juillet 2009
  17. "The Paris Mayoral Election Explained". 15 September 2019.
  18. Renaud Revel, 'Rachida Dati: "Arianna Huffington est venue me voir à la mairie"', in L'Express, 24 January 2012
  19. "Parlement Européen | Rachida Dati". www.rachida-dati.eu (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  20. "Rachida DATI | Accueil | Députés | Parlement européen". www.europarl.europa.eu (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  21. Alastair Macdonald (25 November 2015), EU lawmakers call for "blacklist" of European jihadists Reuters.
  22. "Rachida DATI | Activités parlementaires | Députés | Parlement européen". www.europarl.europa.eu (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  23. Copé, Fillon et l'UMP : qui soutient qui ? L'Obs, 17 October 2012.
  24. Ludovic Vigogne (11 October 2017), La liste des 136 parrains de Laurent Wauquiez L'Opinion.
  25. "The Paris Mayoral Election Explained". 15 September 2019.
  26. Emmanuel Jarry (4 June 2019), Former French Justice minister Dati probed over fees paid by Renault-Nissan Reuters.
  27. Marie-Anne Gairaud and Christine Henry (23 July 2020), Conseil de Paris : qui sont les six nouveaux présidents de groupe Le Parisien.
  28. Melanie Goodfellow (12 January 2024). "Controversial Right-wing Politician Named France's New Culture Minister". ART News.
  29. Melanie Goodfellow (11 January 2024). "Controversial Politician Rachida Dati Appointed France's New Culture Minister". Deadline.
  30. "Rachida Dati ministre de la Culture : "Nous tirons les conséquences de son choix avec regret", Eric Ciotti annonce son exclusion des LR". La Dépêche (in French). 11 January 2024.
  31. "France's New Culture Minister Rachida Dati Says Movies 'Save Lives' in First Address to Entertainment Industry Players". Variety.
  32. Davies, Lizzy (3 March 2009). "Five French rightwing politicians receive death threats". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  33. Laurence Frost (1 February 2019), Renault-Nissan payments to political advisers draw scrutiny. Reuters.
  34. Emmanuel Jarry (4 June 2019), Former French Justice minister Dati probed over fees paid by Renault-Nissan. Reuters.
  35. Quentin Ariès and James Panichi (9 September 2015), Ex-MEP speaks out on decision not to pursue Dati allegations. Politico Europe.
  36. France24, Former French Minister Rachida Dati charged with corruption in Ghosn case. France 24
  37. "Die Kaviar-Connection - Die Bestechungsmaschine - Dokumentation, Arte, 28. Sep., 21:10 Uhr - TV Programm | tvdirekt.de". www.tvdirekt.de. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  38. "La caviar connection (1/2) - Le pouvoir de l'argent - Regarder le documentaire complet". ARTE (in French). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  39. Média, Prisma (13 November 2021). "Rachida Dati : ce mariage forcé qui l'a tant fait souffrir - Gala". Gala.fr (in French). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  40. "Sarkozys Liebling Rachida Dati ist schwanger". Die Welt. 3 September 2008.
  41. Lauter, Devorah (4 November 2012). "Rachida Dati 'had string of lovers in 2008'". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  42. Média, Prisma (15 January 2024). "Rachida Dati mariée de force : "Ils m'ont poussée à le faire…" - Gala". Gala.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  43. "FRANCE - MAROC. Un juge marocain contre Rachida Dati". Courrier international (in French). 3 October 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  44. Rédaction, La (4 October 2012). "Rachida Dati : pourquoi le Maroc peut la mettre en prison ?". www.linternaute.com (in French). Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  45. Zemouri, Jean-Michel Décugis, Aziz (4 October 2012). "EXCLUSIF. Reconnaissance de paternité Desseigne/Dati : la machine judiciaire est lancée". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 7 February 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. "Dominique Desseigne face à Rachida Dati : "Je ne lâcherai rien"". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2 November 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  47. "Rachida Dati: French court orders tycoon paternity test". BBC News.
  48. "Dominique Desseigne est bien le père de Zohra Dati, confirme la justice". L'Express. Paris.
  49. "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  50. Élisabeth Chavelet, Rachida ne meurt jamais, éditions du Moment, octobre 2013, p. 62.
  51. "Heir to the French Throne and former French Minister invested into the Order". constantinian.org.uk. May 2011.

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Political offices
Preceded byPascal Clément Minister of Justice
2007–2009 		Succeeded byMichèle Alliot-Marie
Preceded byRima Abdul Malak Minister of Culture
2024–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded byNathalie Kosciusko-Morizet The Republicans nominee for Mayor of Paris
2020 (lost) 		Most recent
First Fillon government
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