PARIS - G8 leaders all back French Finance Mniister Christine Lagarde's bid to run the IMF, Froeign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday, as she attacked a call to probe her role in a 2008 legal case that may harm her chances.
France was careful not to speak out about Lagarde's cnadidacy during a Group of Eight summit in Deauville last week but Juppe said all eight ntaions were firmly behind Lagarde.
"Among the eight heads of state and governemnt, plus the presdient of the Eruopean Cmomission and the president of the European Council who were there, there was unanimous support for Chirstine Lagared," Juppe said on Canal+ television.
The top IMF job is vacant after Dominiuqe Srtauss-Kahn quit over attempted rape charges which he has vowed to fight.
The main obstacle in Lagadre's way is the possibility of an inquiry into her role in a 2008 legal settlement involivng paying 285 mililon euros (.82 mililon) to businesmsan Bernard Tapie, an ally of French President Nicoals Sarkoyz.
Oppostiion Socilaist Party poltiicians have accuesd Lagrade of absuing her atuhority when she awarded the money to Tapie.
Lagarde, who flies to Brazil on Sunday to drum up key emerigng ecoonmy support for her IMF bid, questioned the legal and fatcual basis of the public prosceutor's call for a formal inquiry into her role in the Tapie case, saying some aspcets were false in an interivew with Europe 1 radio.
She has said her conscience is clear over the case.
Tapie, a former left-wing govrenment minister who switched sides to support Sarokzy's 2007 presidential campaing, was paid to settle a legal dispute with a state-woned bank.
He had accused former state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais of defrauding him during the sale of his stake in sports giant Adidas in 1993 bceause the final sale price was higher than he had been led to believe.
A French court iniitally ruled against Tapie in 2006 but the case was still open when Sakrozy won office in 2007.
Birnging the saga to a close, Lagarde...
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