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The Minister of Ecological Transition François de Rugy had to shorten a visit in Deux-Sèvres, July 11, 2019. GEORGES GOBET / AFP

Minister of Ecological Transition François de Rugy was summoned Thursday, July 11 to Matignon following the revelations of Mediapart.

Claimed by the opposition and even within the majority, the resignation of François de Rugy seemed inevitable, especially after several months of slinging "yellow vests" against social injustice. But the Minister of Ecology has so far saved his job. During a two-hour meeting at Matignon for which he had to shorten a visit to the Deux-Sèvres, he pledged to justify the expenses that are lent to him in fine dinners and work in his office apartment.

Since Wednesday, the number 2 government is the target of several articles of Mediapart. Photos of lobsters and grand cru wines in support, the site of investigation first revealed to have identified between October 2017 and June 2018, while he was president of the National Assembly, a dozen dinners to which were invited from ten to thirty people, mostly belonging to the circle of relations and friendship of the wife of François de Rugy, journalist at the Gala celebrity magazine. The Minister defended himself by referring to " informal dinners " as part of " advocacy " in his role.

This Thursday, Mediapart published a second article about work done by the Minister in his official home at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, a beautiful mansion in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, for 63,000 euros. In the meantime, the investigation site also revealed that Mr. de Rugy's chief of staff, Nicole Klein, had occupied a public housing unit in Paris since 2001 and had kept it from 2006 to 2018 when she no longer lived in the capital, pushing her to resign .

Édouard Philippe asks for an inspection

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe on Thursday asked the General Secretariat of the Government to conduct an " inspection " to verify that this work complied with the " compliance with the rules " and " the principle of exemplarity " wanted by the government. François de Rugy pledged his side to submit to a "national supervisory authority of the Assembly " the costs incurred and " to repay each euro disputed ." The Minister of Ecology " is aware of the legitimate emotion of our fellow citizens in the face of controversy and wants to allow any doubt to continue ," says one to Matignon.

As it has done so far, the government is behind François de Rugy whose strategy is now to prove his good faith. Last night, already, he had published on Facebook the details of the renovation of his apartment.

(With AFP)