A penchant for cigars looks to have brought one junior French minister’s political progress to an abrupt halt in the latest expenses scandal, but back in his banking days at Merrill Lynch, on one specific day in 2001 to be precise, the habit proved a blessing.

Christian Blanc, junior minister in charge of developing the Paris area, left office over the weekend, Dow Jones Newswires reported http://bit.ly/9LbR4E , after French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine last month revealed he had charged €12,000 worth of cigars to his expenses in under a year.