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Orange retains boss charged in scandal linked to IMF chief

Agence France-PresseJune 17, 2013 15:03

The board of French telecom operator Orange on Monday voted to retain Stephane Richard as company boss after he was charged in a corruption probe linked to IMF chief Christine Lagarde when she was French finance minister. The board meeting came just hours after President Francois Hollande said in a television interview that he had instructed the three state members on the board to vote for Richard staying on at the helm of the company.

Corruption probe moves closer to IMF chief as aide charged

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 18:31

Stephane Richard, the head of telecoms company Orange and a former aide to IMF chief Christine Lagarde, was charged Wednesday in a corruption probe related to Lagarde's time as France's finance minister. In a development likely to be seen as further weakening Lagarde's position at the helm of the global lender, Richard was placed under formal investigation for fraud as part of an organised gang. The crime is considered a very serious one in France and it carries a maximum potential sentence of ten years in prison and a million euro fine.

Ex-aide to IMF chief Lagarde charged in corruption probe

Agence France-PresseJune 12, 2013 12:31

Stephane Richard, the head of telecoms company Orange and a former aide to IMF chief Christine Lagarde, was charged Wednesday with fraud in a corruption probe dating from her time as France's finance minister. Richard was Lagarde's chief of staff when, in 2008, she sanctioned a state payout of 400 million euros ($515m) to disgraced tycoon Bernard Tapie. ef-bbm/am/gd

Orange CEO held for further questioning in Tapie case

Thomson ReutersJune 11, 2013 06:32

PARIS (Reuters) - A French prosecutor decided on Tuesday to hold Orange <FTE.PA> CEO Stephane Richard for further questioning about his role in a 285 million euro ($376 million) payout made to businessman Bernard Tapie, a source close to the investigation said. Richard has been held since Monday morning and judges have until early on Wednesday to decide whether he is put under formal investigation.

Greece delays retrial of journalist over leaked bank data

Agence France-PresseJune 10, 2013 16:39

A Greek court on Monday postponed the retrial of a journalist who was cleared last year over the publication of leaked Swiss bank account data in a case that has deeply embarrassed the government. The adjournment came just days after Greek lawmakers voted in favour of widening a parliamentary probe into a former finance minister over the handling of the confidential document known as the "Lagarde list". Costas Vaxevanis, the publisher of investigative magazine Hot Doc, branded his trial a "farce" after the court adjourned the case to October 8 at the request of the defence.

Orange chief detained in French probe linked to IMF boss

Agence France-PresseJune 10, 2013 07:32

French police on Monday detained Stephane Richard, who heads telecom company Orange, in a case linked to IMF chief Christine Lagarde and a state payout to a disgraced tycoon, a source close to the investigation said. Richard, who was chief of staff to Lagarde when the 2008 payout to controversial businessman Bernard Tapie was made, was taken in for questioning along with Jean-Francois Rocchi, who headed a financial institution created to hold the non-performing assets owned by the Credit Lyonnais bank, the source said.

Leftist former French prime minister Mauroy dies

Thomson ReutersJune 7, 2013 07:21

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French prime minister Pierre Mauroy, who pushed through a string of worker benefits as the head of modern France's first Socialist government, has died aged 84, the government said on Friday. Mauroy had been admitted to a hospital in the Paris region last weekend, a year after undergoing surgery for a cancerous tumor in his lung.

French former Socialist premier Pierre Mauroy dies at 84

Agence France-PresseJune 7, 2013 06:22

Former French Socialist prime minister Pierre Mauroy, whose reforming government conducted a slew of pathbreaking social reforms, has died at the age of 84, it was announced Friday. Mauroy, who was premier between 1981 and 1984 under France's first Socialist president Francois Mitterrand, had undergone surgery in April last year for a cancerous tumour in his lung. He was admitted to a hospital in Paris at the start of this month, a close associate said.

French former socialist premier Pierre Mauroy dies at 84

Agence France-PresseJune 7, 2013 06:21

Former French Socialist prime minister Pierre Mauroy has died at the age of 84, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday. Mauroy, who was premier between 1981 and 1984 under France's first Socialist president Francois Mitterrand, had undergone surgery in April last year for a cancerous tumour in his lung. President Francois Hollande, who is on an official visit to Japan, said Mauroy was "a man who had served France during exceptional times."

IMF chief Lagarde sees some slowdown in global economic growth

Kyodo News InternationalJune 6, 2013 01:01

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday noted signs of slowdown in global economic growth and called for increased efforts at concerted and collaborative policy actions. "Recent data, for example, suggest some slowdown in growth," the IMF managing director said in a speech in Washington. "At the same time, the downside risks to growth remain as prominent as ever."