A former Justice Minister of France who was strongly tipped to become the country's first female President was today facing up to 15 years in prison after being charged with a range of corruption offences.
The indictment of Rachida Dati, 55, follows a glittering career which at one stage saw the right-wing conservative being entertained by the Queen and Prince Philip at a Windsor Castle state banquet.
On Tuesday night, financial prosecutors in Paris confirmed Dati had been charged with 'passive corruption by a person with a public elected mandate while working in an international organisation,' which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and a fine equivalent to £128,000.
Dati was also charged with personally 'benefitting from the abuse of power,' which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of £320,000.
The alleged offences relate to highly secretive consulting work that Dati did for the disgraced former Renault chief Carlos Ghosn, who is now a 67-year-old internationally wanted fugitive.
The indictment of Rachida Dati (pictured), 55, follows a glittering career which at one stage saw the right-wing conservative being entertained by the Queen and Prince Philip at a Windsor Castle state banquet
Dati is said to have received a sum equal to £766,000 (€900,000) from Ghosn, who is said to have defrauded motor companies including Renault out of multi-millions.
The cash to Dati was paid as legal fees by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, prompting complaints by anti-corruption watchdogs in France.
Dati was a Member of the European Parliament while working for Ghosn between 2010 and 2012, and prosecutors believe she was engaged in lobbying, which is illegal for an MEP.
A source close to the case said Dati had asked Ghosn to keep her work for him 'strictly confidential' as she tried to help Renault expand its global business.
Dati was questioned by prosecutors for 16 hours in November, but was initially give the status of 'assisted witness'.