PARIS — A special French court on Thursday ordered Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, to stand trial on charges of negligence that date back to when she served as France’s finance minister, the second time in five years that a top French I.M.F. official has faced legal scrutiny.

The order by the French Court of Justice could mean that Ms. Lagarde will be embroiled in a potentially lengthy process to address accusations that she acted negligently while overseeing a politically charged 2007 arbitration case, when the state awarded a payout of 404 million euros, about $441 million at current exchange rates, to a flamboyant French tycoon, Bernard Tapie.

Ms. Lagarde’s lawyer has been quoted in the French media as saying that he will recommend that she appeal the special court’s decision to put her on trial. The court is convened only to try ministers and subministers for wrongdoing involving their jobs.

The I.M.F. did not comment on whether Ms. Lagarde, who is the first woman to lead it, would be required to recuse herself from her post during the trial.