Summary France Telecom-Orange said the questioning was expected and Richard remains in charge.
PARIS (AP) - The chief executive of France Telecom-Orange is being held for questioning in a corruption case that has also involved International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
Lagarde faced questioning over her role in a 400 million-euro ($520 million) payment to a controversial businessman while she was France s finance minister. France Telecom-Orange CEO Stephane Richard, who was detained Monday, was her chief of staff at the time.
The payment was made to Bernard Tapie as part of an arbitration of a dispute with state-owned bank Credit Lyonnais over the botched sale of Adidas in the 1990s.
Critics have said the deal was too generous, and that it is symptomatic of the cozy relationship between big money and power in France.
