French Minister Dati Faces Prosecutors on Final Day of Trial
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French politician Rachida Dati, who is also the mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, appeared in court on the final day of her trial. The case involves the PNF, France's national financial prosecutor's office, which handles serious financial crime cases.
During the hearing, Dati directly addressed the prosecutor, saying that his requisitions, or formal demands for punishment, and his arrogance did not frighten her. She rejected accusations linked to money and greed.
Dati accused the prosecutor of denigration, meaning he was unfairly attacking her reputation rather than judging the facts of the case. Throughout the trial, she has repeatedly presented herself as a victim of the process.
The stakes for Dati are extremely high. If convicted, she risks wearing an electronic tag, a device used to monitor a person's movements instead of prison. She could also be forced to give up her position as mayor of the 7th arrondissement.
In addition, Dati risks losing her career as a lawyer, a profession she practised before entering politics. She has described the possible outcome as a 'civil death', suggesting it would end both her professional and public life.
The court has not yet announced its final verdict. Observers are now waiting to learn whether Dati will face these severe consequences or be cleared of the charges.
Vocabulary10 words
- PNF
- France's office that investigates big money crimes
- requisitions
- official requests made by a prosecutor for punishment
- denigration
- saying bad things to damage someone's reputation
- electronic tag
- a device worn to track a person's location
- lawyer
- a professional trained to work with the law
- verdict
- the final decision made by a court
- prosecutor
- the lawyer who argues against the accused person
- arrogance
- acting as if you are better than others
- trial
- a legal process to decide if someone is guilty
- civil death
- the total loss of someone's public and work life
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Quiz
Answer key
1. France's financial crime prosecutor's office 2. Denigration, or unfairly attacking her reputation 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
French politician Rachida Dati appeared in court on the final day of her _____.
The case involves the _____, France's national financial prosecutor's office.
Dati said the prosecutor's _____, or formal demands for punishment, did not frighten her.
She rejected accusations linked to money and _____.
Dati accused the prosecutor of _____, meaning he was unfairly attacking her reputation.
She has repeatedly presented herself as a _____ of the process.
If convicted, she risks wearing an _____, a device used to monitor movements.
She could also lose her career as a _____, a profession she practised before politics.
She has described the possible outcome as a '_____', suggesting it would end her public life.
The court has not yet announced its final _____.
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