French Prosecutor Opens Inquiry Into Interior Minister's Daughters' Employment

France’s national financial prosecutor’s office said Tuesday it was opening a preliminary inquiry into Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux after he said he employed his daughters.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Le Roux admitted employing his daughters in the summer to the Quotidien program shown by the TMC broadcaster on Monday, but stressed that it was "never permanent" and that they did the work.

"Following the revelations about Bruno Le Roux, broadcast on TMC during the Quotidien program on March 20, 2017 and reprinted by the press, the national financial prosecutor opened today a preliminary investigation into announced facts," the statement, released on Twitter, read.

The two daughters allegedly worked as parliamentary assistants to their father during their time as schoolgirls and students, in the period from 2009 to 2016. One of the daughters reportedly held 10 temporary contracts, while the other was contracted 14 times. In total, the girls earned 55,000 euros ($59,470).

According to media reports, earlier in the day, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve summoned Le Roux for a meeting regarding the issue.

Earlier this year, French The Republican Party presidential candidate Francois Fillon was placed under formal investigation in connection with his wife's employment as his parliamentary assistant, which is alleged to have been fake. Fillon has repeatedly denied the allegations, but recent poll results reveal that the candidate's approval rating has taken a hit in light of the scandal.