French police hold judge, lawyer in case linked to IMF chief

French police have detained a judge and a lawyer for questioning in connection with a corruption case linked to International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde.

The judge, magistrate Pierre Estoup, was arrested on Monday by investigators probing Lagarde’s role in a 400-million-euro payout scandal. 

Estoup was one of the three judges who led the arbitration panel, which granted the payment to disgraced Minister of City Affairs Bernard Tapie. 

The panel supported Tapie’s accusation that Credit Lyonnais, which was state-owned at that time, had defrauded him after it resold his stake in sports group Adidas for a much higher sum and argued that the state should compensate him. 

The detained lawyer, Maurice Lantourne, was one of Tapie's lawyers in the case. 

Prosecutors are investigating whether Tapie received favorable treatment in return for giving support to Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election. 

The arrests came after Lagarde was questioned for two days last week regarding the payout. The IMF chief avoided formal investigations, however, she was named an “assisted witness” meaning that she could face future questioning and even charges. 

Largarde is the second IMF chief to appear before court as her predecessor and compatriot Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as head in 2011 over an alleged sexual assault. 

CAH/PR

Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/29/305993/french-police-detain-judge-lawyer/