French Ecology Minister Francois de Rugy resigns after luxury dinner scandal

The Ecology Minister of France, Francois de Rugy has announced his resignation following the luxury dinner scandal. He wrote on his Facebook page that the media is attacking him on the basis of stolen photos, gossip, approximations, external elements to his function and the 'attack' and 'lynching' by media has driven him to take this step.

Francois received huge criticism after the disclosure of lavish dinners with lobsters and wine he hosted on the taxpayers' money. The disclosure was made by investigative website Mediapart that De Rugy and his wife hosted a dozen luxury dinners, mostly for friends, at his official residence in central Paris from June 2017 to October 2018. when he held the post of the speaker from June 2017 to October 2018.

The incident raised questions of the misuse of taxpayers' money and reinforced the idea of a government which is not in touch with the ordinary public in a time when the country is facing yellow vest revolts over the inequality and the President Macron is fighting hard to shed off the "president of the rich" tag. De Rugy, 45, a former Green party member and environmental activist married to a gossip magazine journalist, initially offered no apology and called the aspersions "grotesque".