Two French junior government ministers resigned suddenly on Sunday, apparently pushed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, after new attention was brought to spending scandals involving Cuban cigars and a private jet.
Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophone Affairs Alain Joyandet and Secretary of State in Charge of Development of the Paris region Christian Blanc, submitted their resignations and Sarkozy accepted them, his office said in a statement on Sunday evening.
Government officials said that Sarkozy had asked for the resignation of Blanc in a time of economic retrenchment and a crackdown on government spending.
PHOTO: REUTERS
It was unclear late on Sunday whether Sarkozy had specifically asked for Joyandet’s resignation. However, Joyandet said he was resigning as well despite his assertion that he had never used any public funds for personal benefit.
The resignations may also be an effort to deflect opposition and public criticism from Sarkozy’s labor minister, Eric Woerth, who was budget minister until March and is still the treasurer of the governing UMP party. Woerth has been under fire since his wife worked directly for one of France’s richest women, Liliane Bettencourt, who allegedly agreed to send money abroad to avoid taxes.
Joyandet, citing a tight schedule, spent 116,500 euros (US$146,130) in March on a private jet to attend a Haiti reconstruction conference in Martinique. He insisted he was one of the government’s least costly ministers.
“In the future, I will pay closer attention to the way I conduct my expenses,” Joyandet said at the time.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon then instituted new oversight rules for such travel.
His job will be handled by French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner, Sarkozy’s office said.
Blanc charged the state 12,000 euros for Cuban cigars, which Fillon ordered him to repay. He later said he reimbursed the government the portion of that money spent on cigars for his personal use.
His job will be handled by Minister of Rural Areas and Regional Planning Michel Mercier.
The departures raised questions over whether more prominent ministers could be on their way out, after Sarkozy recently said he plans a larger government reshuffle later this year.
The spending scandals came as France is seeking to cut its enormous deficit and debt and French workers are still feeling the pinch of the economic crisis.
Last month, Sarkozy ordered his ministers to axe “unjustified or excessive expenses” and set an example for the public.
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