French central banker Goulard to return to government

PARIS, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Bank of France deputy governor Sylvie Goulard is leaving the French central bank on Dec 5 to join the French Foreign Ministry, the central bank said on Friday.

"After five years as deputy governor of the Bank of France, Sylvie Goulard wished to join the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, which is her initial Ministry, to pursue her recognised European and international commitment," the Bank of France said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron had tapped Goulard, a former member of the European Parliament, to be his defense minister after his 2017 election victory.

However, she resigned barely a month into the job after an investigation was opened into the way her political party, MoDem, hired parliamentary assistants in the European parliament. She joined the Bank of France in January 2018 for a six year mandate.

The inquiry remains open but Goulard is not its main focus and she is not herself under formal investigation. She has denied any wrongdoing. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Leigh Thomas)