Two ministers of newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron — who promised a squeaky-clean government — are defending themselves against suspicions of ethical lapses just as a new law is being prepared to inject morality into politics, reports The Sacramento Bee.
No investigation was being opened against social cohesion minister Richard Ferrand for business practices that carried undertones of potential conflicts of interest.
But the pressure was on Ferrand because he was a trailblazer for Macron's En Marche (On the Move) movement, among the first to sign onto the initiative that swept him to the presidency.
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said Tuesday evening that despite the "exasperation of the French" Ferrand would remain in the government.
However, any minister placed under investigation will have to resign, Philippe said in an interview with France 2 TV. Old behaviors that "are no longer accepted today, can no longer be tolerated" even if they aren't illegal, the prime minister added.
European affairs minister Marielle de Sarnez also was in an unwelcome spotlight after she filed a slander complaint against a far-right European Parliament member. The lawmaker, Sophie Montel, has claimed that a batch of fellow French members of the European body improperly used their EU aides for political activities in France.
Montel, who pointed the finger at colleagues, is suspected of doing the same. She is among the National Front party parliamentarians under investigation, along with party leader Marine Le Pen, for allegedly cheating the European Parliament out of about 300,000 euros ($336,000) paid to aides who held political jobs on the side.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed that 19 French European Parliament members were under investigation, but refused to name names.
The prosecutor's office said that in addition to the lawmakers, more than 20 parliamentary aides are under investigation for allegedly receiving money through an alleged breach of trust.
Read more of this Associated Press report published by The Sacramento Bee.