Christine Lagarde, French Economy Minister, in pole position for the succession to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at the top of the International Monetary Fund, said this morning in relation to the Tapie affair that she has "a totally clear conscience".
This is practically the only obstacle in Lagarde's race for the post of managing director of the IMF. It concerns an old story, the 1993 sale of Adidas by the controversial entrepreneur Bernard Tapie, orchestrated by Crédit Lyonnais, a bank which then slipped into near bankruptcy. In 2007, Minister Lagarde decided to move the dispute initiated by Tapie in this regard from ordinary justice to private arbitration. An agreement was reached in 2008, which led to compensation, net of various pending claims by Tapie with the tax authorities, of 240 million euros, paid by French taxpayers.
Tomorrow the French Court of Justice, the body that judges ministers, could decide to launch an investigation against Lagarde. But this morning from Beijing, where you are to obtain the support of the Chinese for your candidacy, you say: «My conscience is totally clear. I have always been committed to the interest of the State». On the dossier you added: "You have no criminal substance, really none".
