"There is an important principle of the independence of justice. The press investigation can not become an invitation for a legal inquiry. In this country today only justice is capable of deciding what becomes a subject of investigation, involving police, gendarmes and all other means that have to be mobilized. Things never go well when the press becomes judge. In the democratic society everybody should know his place," Castaner said at a press conference.
The scandal surrounding Ferrand broke out last week, when Canard Enchaine weekly published revelations of him having made a business deal with his romantic partner and employed his son as parliamentary assistant. Ferrand is blamed by the media for alleged financial wrongdoings during the time he served as head of a medical insurance company in Brittany. The prosecution office refused to open an investigation and Ferrand stated that he would not quit because "he has confidence in himself."
De Sarnez provoked ethical concerns over hiring a parliamentary assistant for her work in the European parliament, who supposedly was performing for the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party instead.
The new administration under French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing forward its law on transparency of political life in the hopes of creating a scandal-free government. The text of the law will be presented before the second round of the legislative elections, set for June 18.
