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The fairy-tale rise of the French Justice Minister, Rachida Dati, has been clouded by accusations of drug-dealing against two of her brothers and by the abrupt departure of four of her private advisers.
Dati, 41, is the first person from a North African background to reach a senior Cabinet position in France. Her whirlwind promotion was intended by President Nicolas Sarkozy as a symbol of his determination to sweep away hidden barriers in French society.
After weeks of glowing praise from all sides, Dati, one of 12 children of poor Tunisian and Algerian immigrants, has run into a barrage of troubles.
A younger brother, Jamal Dati, 34, already given a suspended jail term for drugs trafficking, was to appear in an appeal court in Nancy yesterday. The prosecution is seeking a tougher sentence because he has a previous conviction.
Another brother, Omar Dati, 35, is under investigation for dealing in cannabis. He also has a previous conviction for this offence.
One of Dati's first acts as Justice Minister has been to push through a controversial new law to increase punishments for repeat offenders. She is also struggling with problems of prison overcrowding in France, made worse by Sarkozy's decision to abolish the traditional Bastille Day presidential pardon for some non-violent inmates.
Her office said she had taken no action about the cases involving her brothers. She no longer had "any particular contact" with them.
At the same time, rumours have swirled in the French media about Dati's allegedly abrasive, personal style. The head of her private office in the Justice Ministry resigned 10 days ago. Three other officials in her private office resigned last week.
Although the resignations are said to be for "personal reasons", French newspapers have suggested that Dati's peremptory style has caused annoyance among officials at the ministry.
Two anti-racism watchdog groups suggested at the weekend that the sudden turbulence surrounding Dati might not be accidental. They suggested that she might be a victim of jealousy and prejudice.
SOS-Racisme said that she was "paying the price for being the first person from a Maghreb immigrant background to reach such a high government position".
President Sarkozy's decision to catapult Mme Dati into the Justice Ministry - with no previous political experience - certainly caused annoyance among senior, male politicians in his own party. However, the recent run of bad headlines seems to be a coincidence.
Any Cabinet minister who lost so many private advisers so rapidly would be bound to attract press comment. Any Justice Minister who had two brothers in trouble with the law would generate headlines. All the same, Mme Dati's troubles have cast a shadow over what appeared to be a perfect - if untypical - story of immigrant success and racial integration.
- INDEPENDENT
