Brussels, 16/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - The governor of the Bank of France, Jean-Claude Trichet, has had legal proceedings initiated against him for his involvement in alleged account-rigging at the Crédit Lyonnais in 1992. This decision compromises Mr Trichet's candidature as president of the European Central Bank (ECB) when Wim Duisenberg leaves his post in July 2003. The decision by French Judge Philippe Courroye went against official recommendations by the State Prosecutor who had requested a non-suit on 31 May this year. The European Commission refused to comment on this new development in this affair, while Belgian diplomatic sources say there is at any rate a sort of "gentleman's agreement" that the next ECB President will be of French nationality . The same source of information added that it would be "neither diplomatic nor constructive" to present a Belgian candidate to take over from Mr Duisenberg … especially after having lost to Greece in the battle over ECB vice-presidency.