Paris (AFP)

The High Commissioner for Pensions, Jean-Paul Delevoye, weakened by suspicions of conflicts of interest after omissions in his declaration of interests, rectified this document by declaring 13 terms, including 11 volunteers, ten more than in the initial version, according to the newspaper Le Monde.

Regretting an "error" which he considers to have "repaired", Mr. Delevoye declares in a daily interview that he wants to "continue to defend and support this project (of pension reform) in the concern of social dialogue and in a approach to appeasing our society. "

In its new declaration of interests addressed to the High authority for the transparency of the public life (HATVP), which examines the inheritance and the activities of the members of the government, appear mainly voluntary activities in musical associations, of "Civic tech" , at the French Federation of Diabetics, or in a foundation that provides artistic awareness courses to young people, according to Le Monde.

"I made these omissions because for me, it was about social commitment", justifies Jean-Paul Delevoye, claiming to have "never given paid conferences as part of these functions".

The government's "Monsieur pensions" admitted a few days ago that he had failed to declare his position as a voluntary administrator in an insurance training institute, Ifpass.

Other oversights then appeared: he has been a volunteer member of the SNCF Foundation's board of directors since 2016, and chairs the Hauts-de-France Regional Observatory for Public Order.

Mr. Delevoye also cumulated his governmental function with that, remunerated, of president of Parallaxe, an institute of reflection on education dependent on the training group IGS, cumulation which he had declared but which, he learned since , was not allowed.

Faced with the controversy, he resigned from his duties and undertook to reimburse the sums collected.

According to Le Monde, he received 78,408 euros net under a former former post of "adviser to the general delegate" of the IGS group, as well as 73,338 euros net in 2018 and 62,216 in 2019 as honorary president of the group of Parallax reflection.

Very weakened in public opinion in the midst of a social conflict against the pension reform, the architect of the pension reform received the support of the head of government on Saturday.

His "good faith is total", estimated Edouard Philippe, putting an end to the uncertainty which hovered over a possible resignation, evoked by the interested party himself to "preserve" his much criticized reform.

© 2019 AFP