French prosecutors grill IMF chief Christine Lagarde over 2007 payout

IMF chief Christine Lagarde was questioned in court by a French magistrate on Thursday over her role in a 285-million-euro (HK$2.85 billion) arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagarde risks being placed under formal investigation at the hearing for her 2007 decision as Sarkozy’s finance minister to use arbitration to settle a long-running court battle between the state and high-profile businessman Bernard Tapie.

Under French law, that step would mean there exists “serious or consistent evidence” pointing to probable implication of a suspect in a crime. It is one step closer to trial but a number of such investigations have been dropped without any trial.

Such a move could prove uncomfortable for the International Monetary Fund, whose former head, Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, quit in 2011 over a sex assault scandal, and for a woman rated the most influential in France by Slate magazine.

“It’s a pleasure to see you,” a smiling Lagarde said to reporters as arrived at the Paris court with her lawyer for a hearing that could last into Friday.

They were not expected to emerge until the end of the day’s proceedings, which could run into late evening. The decision on whether to place her under investigation or give her “supervised witness” status will be announced at the end of the hearing.

The case goes back to 1993 when Tapie, a colourful and often controversial character in the French business and sports world, sued the state for compensation after selling his stake in sports company Adidas to then state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais.