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French investigators have searched IMF chief Christine Lagarde's Paris home as part of an inquiry into her role in a £264 million arbitration deal in favour of a tycoon.
Her lawyer, Yves Repiquet, said she had nothing to hide and he welcomed the search as another step in proving her innocence.
Ms Lagarde was France's finance minister when magnate Bernard Tapie won a 2008 settlement with a state-owned bank over the mishandled sale of Adidas in the 1990s. Critics said the settlement was too generous.
Questions about the settlement began before she was appointed head of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund after her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, quit to face charges he tried to rape a New York hotel maid. The charges were dropped.
Press Association
