MoDem parliamentary assistants appeal trial: two-year suspended prison sentence sought against François Bayrou
On 28 September 2026, prosecutors at the Paris Court of Appeal sought a two-year suspended prison sentence, a €50,000 fine and a three-year suspended ban from public office against François Bayrou, who was acquitted at first instance trial in 2024 in the case concerning the assistants of MoDem Members of the European Parliament. The prosecution alleges a “systemic” embezzlement of public funds between 2005 and 2017, during which assistants paid by the European Parliament allegedly worked solely for the party. Fines of €100,000 each are sought against the MoDem and its predecessor, the UDF. François Bayrou asserts that no new evidence has been presented and says he is confident he will be acquitted again, as at first instance. > Read the article.
Custodial sentence, ineligibility and removal from the judiciary… At Rachida Dati’s trial, prosecutors seek heavy penalties
The trial of Rachida Dati and Carlos Ghosn concluded on 28 September with the closing submissions of the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) and the defense pleadings. The case concerns a €900,000 legal fee agreement signed in 2009 by Rachida Dati, then a Member of the European Parliament, with a Renault-Nissan subsidiary, under which no actual work was performed and which, according to the prosecution, was in exchange for lobbying at the European Parliament. The PNF asked the Paris Criminal Court to sentence Rachida Dati, for corruption and influence peddling, to four years’ imprisonment, two of which to be served in custody, with the possibility of an alternative arrangement such as electronic monitoring. It also sought a five-year ban from holding public office and from working in the civil service, with immediate enforcement pending appeal. The prosecution further sought the conviction of Carlos Ghosn, tried in absentia, for corruption, influence peddling, breach of trust and abuse of corporate powers, and asked for a four-year prison sentence and a €375,000 fine. It also requested that he be deprived of his civil rights and that the arrest warrants issued against him remain in force. The PNF stressed that, given the positions Rachida Dati has held (magistrate, Member of the European Parliament, minister), the alleged offences are extremely serious. Rachida Dati’s lawyers, for their part, argued for her acquittal. > Read the article.
Premier League publishes Man City ruling
The Premier League has published the independent commission’s decision finding Manchester City guilty of almost all of the 115 alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules. Over nine seasons, the club relied on fictitious contracts to boost its revenue and cut its costs by over £900 million, in particular through sponsorship agreements partly funded by its owner. The commission also held that City had obstructed the investigation and that several of the club’s key witnesses had given false testimony. The Premier League was able to publish the decision because the commission classified it as a final award, which an appeal board confirmed. The decision was issued more than two years after the hearing, a delay the commission itself described as regrettable and which drew criticism from fans and commentators. Sanctions will be set at a further hearing in the coming weeks. City denies any wrongdoing and intends to appeal. > Read the article.
Argentina to take UK to arbitration over the Falklands
Argentina has announced its intention to bring arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in order to challenge oil drilling around the Falkland Islands. Buenos Aires is seeking in particular to block the Sea Lion project, developed by Rockhopper Exploration and Navitas Petroleum, arguing that exploiting the resources of its continental shelf violates its sovereign rights. Argentina has given the UK two weeks to suspend the project voluntarily, failing which it will apply to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for provisional measures. The move is part of a long-running sovereignty dispute, revived by the prospect of oil production. > Read the article.
Iran Sanctions: How a French Factory in the Nièvre Region Ended Up on Washington’s Blacklist
Nivernaise de Raffinage, which operates a biofuels and lubricants plant, was added on 24 August to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), due to its alleged ties to the Wellbred group, which the U.S. Treasury links to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. While this U.S. measure directly applies to persons and transactions within U.S. jurisdiction, it may also affect French partners that depend on the dollar or the U.S. financial system. Placed into judicial reorganisation proceedings on 7 September, the company holds a temporary OFAC licence valid until 23 October. The search for a buyer, with offers due by 2 October, is therefore taking place under significant financial and regulatory constraints. > Read article.
