PARIS (MNI) – The French Court of Justice said Thursday it has
decided to launch an investigation into the role of Christine Lagarde
while still finance minister in resolving a complicated legal affair
dating back nearly two decades.
The court will first have to study the matter, perhaps for an
extended period, before determining whether Lagarde should be charged.
According to media reports, Lagarde’s lawyer said the investigation
is not “incompatible” with the former minister’s new position as
managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
In 2007, Lagarde decided to resolve a long, costly court battle
with the entrepreneur Bernard Tapie through legal arbitration, which
obliged the government to pay Tapie E285 million for compensation.
Lagarde repeatedly argued that the recourse to arbitration was the
cheapest and safest way to avoid much larger potential losses for the
government.
Doubts about the impartiality of one of three arbitrers had been
raised by two experts at the time, the daily Le Monde revealed recently.
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