Spain's former IMF chief Rodrigo Rato has also been ordered to stand trial for misusing funds when he was head of Spanish lender Bankia. PARIS - IMF chief Christine Lagarde was ordered Friday to stand trial in France over a massive state payout to a controversial tycoon when she was French economy minister, dealing a setback to her stellar career. The ruling is a blow to the IMF boss, who insists she acted in France's best interests in the case. The former corporate lawyer became the first woman to head the IMF when she replaced Strauss-Kahn in July 2011. Tapie walked away with a staggering 404 million euros ($445 million) in compensation in 2008 after Lagarde ordered the long-running row over the sale of sports gear giant Adidas to be resolved by arbitration.

Source: Bangkok Post July 22, 2016 12:45 UTC