PARIS: The public prosecutor of Qatar has officially denied being the father of French Justice Minister Rachida Dati's daughter, the daily Le Figaro reported yesterday.
In a letter to the Qatari ambassador in Paris, Ali bin Fetais Al-Merri called the allegations in a recent book that he had sired Zorah Dati "an untruth" and threatened to sue the authors.
The 43-year-old Dati gave birth to Zorah on Jan. 2, and has steadfastly refused to divulge the identity of the father.
Al-Merri is the third public figure to refute claims that he was Zorah's father, following similar denials by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and French Sports Minister Bernard Laporte.
In Paris, rumors are rife that Zorah's father could be none other than President Nicolas Sarkozy's younger brother Francois, who was spotted visiting Dati in the clinic when she gave birth.
Dati, who will soon be leaving her post to run in June's European elections, was quoted in yesterday's edition of the weekly Paris Match as telling a fellow minister, "I'm annoyed because (Zorah's) papa wants a second child."
