French Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition Francois de Rugy spent state funds on luxury dinners during the time he served as the president of the French parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, local media reported on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2019) French Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition Francois de Rugy spent state funds on luxury dinners during the time he served as the president of the French parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, local media reported on Wednesday.During his brief tenure from 2017-2018, de Rugy and his wife organized at least 10 dinners at the De Lassay hotel in Paris, the residence of National Assembly presidents, the Mediapart investigative media outlet reported, citing eyewitnesses and obtained documents.
The dinners were attended by 10-30 guests on average, with all of them being friends of de Rugy. The photos, obtained by Mediapart, showed guests drinking wines that cost 500 Euros (over $560) per bottle. These wines are kept in the parliament's basement, and a special permit is required if someone wants to drink them. The guests also reportedly ate lobster during the dinners.
The minister's press service said that the dinners had been organized by a relevant service rather than by de Rugy himself. De Rugy described the dinners as informal meetings with representatives of civil society, adding that they were part of his duties as National Assembly president.
French government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye has, in turn, said that de Rugy still had the trust of President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, the Europe 1 radio broadcaster reported.
