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French police search IMF chief Lagarde's home over Tapie probe
French police searched the home of IMF chief Christine Lagarde in Paris on Wednesday in an investigation into her handling of a scandal involving tycoon Bernard Tapie years ago.
The search came as the head of International Montary Fund (IMF) is doubted for her role in a 400-million-U.S. dollar arbitration in favor of French magnate Tapie.
Lagarde's lawyer Yves Repiquet confirmed the search of her home. He spoke to the press that his client has nothing to hide and the probe search will prove her innocence.
The investigation focuses on the decision made by IMF director, who in 2008 as then-France's finance minister under Nicolar Sarkozy's administration, chose to order a panel of judges to settle by arbitration a legal dispute between businessman Tapie and the state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the mishandled sale of sports company Adidas in 1993.
The arbitration resulted in Tapie winning 285-million-euro (367-million-dollar) payment (plus interest, totalling 400 million dollars) from Credit Lyonnais.
Lagarde was suspected of complicity in embezzling public funds after she was accused of overruling objections from advisers over the setting of the controversial case with Tapie.
However, the IMF chief denied any wrongdoing for approving the 400-million-dollar payout to Tapie.
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"It (the arbitration) was the best solution at the time and I believe I made the right choice," she once claimed in a TV program in January during the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that she would cooperate with the authorities if and when needed to do so.
The International Monetary Fund made no comment Wednesday over French police's raid on Lagarde's home.
"It would not be appropriate to comment on a case that has been and is currently before the French judiciary," the IMF said in a statement, but confirming that the issue had been discussed before Lagarde took over the post from its resigned-director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and the organization believes that "Madame Lagarde would be able to effectively carry out her duties as Managing Director," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said.
相关新闻：据法国媒体20日报道，为配合调查“塔皮利益输送案”，法国警方当天对国际货币基金组织(IMF)总裁克里斯蒂娜·拉加德在巴黎的住所进行搜查。
拉加德的律师证实了这一消息，并称警方搜查有利于厘清事实真相，还拉加德以清白。他还说：“拉加德没有什么好隐瞒的。”
“塔皮利益输送案”是指法国财政部2008年牵头对法国富商塔皮因1993年出售阿迪达斯品牌状告里昂信贷银行一案进行仲裁，最终使塔皮获得近4亿欧元的赔偿，2011年拉加德参选国际货币基金总裁前，法国议员指控时任法国财政部长的拉加德在此案中滥用权力进行“公共利益输送”和“欺诈”。
据报道，警方近期还就塔皮案搜查了法国前总统办公室主任克洛德·盖昂、塔皮本人和拉加德办公室主任的住所。
拉加德曾表示，塔皮案仲裁当时是最佳的解决方案。在她担任国际货币基金组织总裁之前，塔皮案就曾被提及，IMF表示了对拉加德的信任。
拉加德2007年至2011年担任法国经济和财政部长，2011年7月接替因性侵丑闻辞职的斯特劳斯-卡恩就任国际货币基金组织总裁。 |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:57:14