France's Strauss-Kahn to cut short Vietnam trip
HANOI - French Finance Minister
Dominique Strauss-Kahn will cut short a trip to Vietnam and
return to Paris on Saturday night, an official close to the
minister's delegation said on Friday.
Earlier in the day a French prosecutor told magistrates in
France they could open an investigation into accusations that
Strauss-Kahn had used forged documents.
``He was due to go back on Monday, but is now leaving on
Saturday night. His weekend in Hanoi was always going to be a
private visit,'' the official told Reuters without elaborating on the
reason for the change in plans.
In Paris, judicial sources said a French prosecutor had told
magistrates they could open an investigation into accusations
that Strauss-Kahn used forged documents to cover up an
alleged fictitious jobs scam.
The minister earlier issued a statement denying involvement in
the case, after a former employee of student medical insurance
group MNEF told magistrates that Strauss-Kahn had been on
the co-operative's payroll without working for the organisation.
The finance minister said last year he had received 603,000
francs ($96,150) from MNEF in 1997 and insisted it was
legitimate payment for two years work carried out by his legal
practice on behalf of the cooperative.
French embassy officials had earlier said Strauss-Kahn, who
arrived in Hanoi late on Thursday, was scheduled to leave the
country over the weekend.
Reuters - October 29, 1999.
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