The head of the IMF was summoned to court

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, was subpoenaed. She will testify in the case of businessman and politician Bernard Tapie. The judges want to find out Lagarde's role in Tapi's government compensation.

The head of the IMF said that she would voluntarily go and testify. Her lawyer recommended that she appeal the court's decision.

In 1993, Bernard Tapie sold a stake in Adidas to Credit Lyonnais, which was partially owned by the state. He later claimed that the bank bought the shares at a discounted price and demanded compensation. In 2007, Tapi supported the conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential elections, although he had previously worked in the government under the socialist Francois Mitterrand.

A year later, Christine Lagarde, who served as finance minister, decided to consider Tapi's request for compensation for Adidas shares. A three-member committee decided that Tapi should be paid €404 million in compensation. After that, a scandal erupted, as many believed that Tapi was returned the money only because he supported Sarkozy.

In 2013, Christine Lagarde's house was searched. In 2014, prosecutors officially launched an investigation against her. They subsequently recommended that the court not consider Lagarde's case, but the court decided to summon her anyway.

• Christine Lagarde has led the IMF since 2011. She succeeded Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned after being accused of raping a hotel employee in the United States. From 2007 to 2011, she served as French finance minister.