François de Rugy, the environment minister and number two in President Emmanuel Macron's government behind prime minister Édouard Philippe, resigned on Tuesday 16 July following a string of revelations by Mediapart about his lifestyle as a minister, including grand dinners paid for out of the public purse. De Rugy quit just as Mediapart was about to make fresh revelations about his use of expenses as an MP. Michaël Hajdenberg, Antton Rouget and Fabrice Arfi report.
French environment minister François de Rugy, an outspoken campaigner for greater transparency in public office, resigned from the government on Tuesday July 16th following a string of revelations about his lifestyle at public expense and as Mediapart was preparing to publish new disclosures. On Monday Mediapart sent a number of questions to de Rugy, in particular about how he used his expenses as a Member of Parliament to pay his party subscription when he was a member of the green Europe Écologie Les Verts (EELV) party.
