Guilty ex-prime minister keeps €47,000 pension

A FORMER French prime minister whose actions helped bring down the European Commission will be allowed keep her pension despite being found guilty of bending the rules.

Edith Cresson, who is now 71, will continue to receive her €47,000-a-year pension after spending four years from 1995 as Commissioner for Science, Research and Development.

She insisted the commission employ a 66-year-old dentist friend from her home town in France even though there was no official job for him and he was too old to be employed.