因在2008年任法国财政部长期间同意向一位商人支付巨额国家赔偿，国际货币基金组织(IMF)总裁拉加德被控犯有渎职罪，于上周一在法国出庭受审。
International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde went on trial in France last Monday for negligence over a massive state payout to a businessman when she was finance minister in 2008.
拉加德曾在时任法国总统萨科齐麾下任财政部长，她批准了就一桩公司买卖纠纷向塔皮支付4.04亿欧元的赔偿。
As finance minister of then-president Nicolas Sarkozy, she approved an award of 404 million euros to Bernard Tapie for the disputed sale of a firm.
塔皮曾在2007年为萨科齐竞选总统提供支持。拉加德未面临贪污指控，而是被控允许滥用公共资金。拉加德本人否认自己有任何过错。
Tapie had supported Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election. She is accused of allowing the misuse of public funds, rather than corruption. She denies any wrongdoing.
她的律师团队成员克里斯托弗·贝克表示，拉加德很愿意阐明自己的立场。
Member of her legal team Christopher Baker said that Lagarde was pleased to be able to lay out her case.
如果被定罪，拉加德可能面临一年的监禁和15000欧元的罚款。如果被判处最高的惩罚，则这位备受尊敬的决策者还能否继续担任IMF总裁一职将存疑。
If Lagarde is convicted, she could face up to a year in jail and a fine of 15,000 euros. And a maximum sentence could raise questions about the widely respected policymaker's ability to continue as head of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund.
在15人的陪审团中，有12人是来自两院（上、下议院）的立法者，将会参与审理此案，而庭审定于12月20日结束。
A panel of 15, including 12 lawmakers from both the lower and upper houses of parliament, will hear the case, which is scheduled to run until December 20.