BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINE - Former Argentine president Fernando De la Rua will go on trial for allegedly bribing lawmakers to pass an IMF-backed labor law in 2000, a court official told AFP on Wednesday.

No date has been set for his trial, the official added.

The charges against De La Rua, who led the country from 1999 to 2001, stem from a whistleblower in Congress who said the SIDE intelligence agency gave him five million dollars to distribute among ruling Peronist lawmakers to ensure the approval of a labor bill that restricted workers' rights.

The International Monetary Fund at the time demanded that Argentina reform its labor laws to qualify for continued financial support.

De la Rua, 72, was forced to resign in 2001 amid a popular uprising over his government's handling of Argentina's deep financial crisis.

Thirty people were killed in clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement officials.

De la Rua has repeatedly denied the bribery charges and claims he is the victim of political persecution.

-AFP