A Paris judge has ordered financier George Soros to stand trial on insider dealing charges in connection with a hostile bid for part of the French bank Societe Generale 12 years ago, court officials said yesterday. Mr Soros was committed for trial in December 19th, along with three other leading businessmen. The four are suspected of having benefited from privileged information in 1988 in advance of a stock-market raid by a French investment company. The raid provoked a political storm at the time because of allegations it was conducted with the knowledge of the Socialist government of the time. Societe Generale had been privatised by the outgoing rightwing government in 1987.

According to Le Monde newspaper, Mr Soros made $2.2 million dealing in Societe Generale shares in the run-up to the raid.