French junior finance minister resigns after conviction

PARIS (AP) — A junior finance minister has quit the French government after being convicted of failing to declare all his wealth and income. The office of Alain Griset said in a statement Wednesday that he has appealed the court decision. But he submitted his resignation pending the appeal. The unusual conviction is a stain on President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government. Macron had promised to clean up politics when he was elected in 2017. Griset was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence. He worked in the Finance Ministry and was in charge of relations with small and medium businesses.