IMF chief summoned by French court over abuse of officeApril 18, 2013 - 19:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - IMF chief Christine Lagarde has been summoned by a French court to answer questions over alleged abuse of office during her time as France's finance minister, her lawyer has said, according to BBC News. Lagarde is to be questioned before a magistrate in May over her role in the awarding of financial compensation to businessman Bernard Tapie in 2008. Lagarde, who took over as IMF chief in 2011, denies any wrongdoing. Her apartment was searched last month as part of the ongoing investigation. As finance minister, Lagarde referred Tapie's long-running dispute with bank Credit Lyonnais to an arbitration panel, which awarded him 400m euros (£340m) damages. Tapie was a supporter of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy. Critics say she abused her authority but Lagarde denies any wrongdoing. When asked about the court case at the end of a news conference on Thursday, April 18 she replied: "There is nothing new under the sun and ever since 2011 I had known very well that I would be heard by the investigating commission of the Courts de Justice." "I'll be very happy to travel for a couple of days to Paris but it's not going to change my focus, my attention and my enthusiasm for doing the work that I do." Last month, the IMF issued a statement affirming its confidence in Lagarde. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |