PARIS, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Searches were under way on Thursday at the office of the mayor of the 7th district of Paris, the French Culture Ministry and private homes as part of a corruption probe involving the European Parliament mandate of current Culture Minister Rachida Dati, the French Financial Prosecutor said in a statement.
These searches are part of a judicial investigation opened in October on charges of “active and passive corruption, influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds, concealment and laundering in connection with Ms Rachida Dati’s mandate as a Member of the European Parliament,” the statement added.
Rachida Dati, as well as her lawyers, could not be immediately reached for comment.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
