France’s Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux has resigned over a “fake jobs” row involving work he gave his daughters when they were teenagers.
Mr Le Roux told a news conference that he had submitted his resignation to French President Francois Hollande.
He said he made the decision because he felt it was his “responsibility”, but denied wrongdoing.
It is alleged that Mr Le Roux’s daughters were being paid for work while involved in other activities.
The Socialist minister has repeatedly insisted that the summer jobs were legitimate.
Mr Le Roux, 51, said he did not want the investigation into the contracts linked to his daughters to “undermine the work of the government”.
His daughters began working for him when they were 15 or 16, and between them amassed 24 fixed-term contracts that paid out €55,000 ($60,000; £48,000).
Centre-right presidential candidate Francois Fillon is already under investigation for employing his family.
Mr Fillon, initially the favourite to win the presidential election in April and May, is now running third in the opinion polls.
BBC