Gdf Suez - French Businessman Seeks New Probe Into Lagarde Reuters

PARIS Mon May 30, 2011 4:49pm EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - A French businessman in addition to anti-corruption campaigner possesses asked prosecutors to help investigate the position of French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, entry runner to turn into another IMF head, in a current corporate and business deal.

Jean-Marie Kuhn accuses Lagarde of mistreating the woman guru by means of letting state bank Caisse des Depots to buy a twenty-five percent risk with GRTgaz, this propane grid involving power GDF Suez (GSZ.PA), before the following year, in accordance with some sort of copy involving his cover letter to a state prosecutor.

"We think genuine fantasy," a fund ministry public advised Reuters in outcome to help Kuhn's allegation.

Lagarde, who seem to received respect with regard to your girlfriend purpose within dealing with this euro area credit card debt crisis, previously faces a good query into your girlfriend 2008 decision to stay a question among the particular state along with businessman Bernard Tapie, somebody involving President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Lagarde has denied just about any misconduct in the Tapie affair.

The ex - top attorney provides swiftly blossomed as the leading choice for you to replace Dominique Strauss-Kahn since handling director in the International Monetary Fund.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Sunday which the lady possessed earned the actual help regarding market leaders coming from the actual Group with Eight nations whenever they fulfilled with Thursday plus Friday within France.

Kuhn possesses questioned prosecutor Jean-Louis Nadal that is likewise examining the Tapie instance to look for a judge investigation into Lagarde's part around GDF Suez 's sale involving the GRTgaz stake to be able to Caisse des Depots.

He reported this transfer employed public cash regarding a strong investment that seemed to be neither proper to the bank nor dished up a function for that typical public.

"This is actually embezzlement regarding open funds of which Lagarde is an accomplice, committing in the deal a lot of abuses of capacity and also power," Kuhn reported with his notice for you to Nadal, contributing that his motion wasn't politically motivated.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas ; Editing by way of Catherine Bremer as well as Lin Noueihed)