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| IMF's Lagarde to face trial over payout court confirms | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, will stand trial over a state payout to the French tycoon Bernard Tapie, an appeals court has ruled. | The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, will stand trial over a state payout to the French tycoon Bernard Tapie, an appeals court has ruled. |
| She is charged with negligence over the award to Mr Tapie of €404m ($445m; £339m) in 2008 when she was France's economy minister. | |
| Ms Lagarde had appealed against a lower court ruling from December. | Ms Lagarde had appealed against a lower court ruling from December. |
| She is now expected to appear before a special court for government ministers. | She is now expected to appear before a special court for government ministers. |
| The case stems from Mr Tapie's sale of his majority stake in the sports equipment company, Adidas, which was handled by the state-owned bank, Credit Lyonnais. | |
| The businessman sued for compensation after claiming he was defrauded by the bank and received too little from the sale in 1993. | |
| Tapie affair: Background to case | Tapie affair: Background to case |
| Christine Lagarde profiled | |
| Ms Lagarde was responsible for the rare decision to appoint an arbitration panel, rather than allowing the courts to decide on the dispute. | |
| She served as economy minister when President Nicolas Sarkozy was in office. Mr Tapie was a supporter of Mr Sarkozy and there were allegations this may have played a role in her decision. | |
| She has always denied any wrongdoing, saying she acted in the interest of the state and with respect for the law. | She has always denied any wrongdoing, saying she acted in the interest of the state and with respect for the law. |
| After learning of the decision by France's highest appeals court, Ms Lagarde's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, said he was convinced that the trial would show she was innocent. | |
| Reacting to the latest ruling, the IMF said the executive board continued to express confidence in her ability to carry out her duties and was being briefed on developments. | Reacting to the latest ruling, the IMF said the executive board continued to express confidence in her ability to carry out her duties and was being briefed on developments. |
| Ms Lagarde, who was given a second five-year term as IMF managing director in January, is the third head of the organisation to face legal proceedings. | |
| For his part, Mr Tapie is currently appealing against a French court's decision to dismiss the settlement at the heart of the case. |