Brussels - The Belgian government held crisis talks Friday as Prime Minister Yves Leterme was said to be considering whether to step down over a judicial scandal involving the country's troubled Fortis bank.

"Leterme has brought up (the issue of) his resignations," Finance Minister Didier Reynders told the RTBF radio station.

"It's not easy," Reynders said about Leterme's position.

The premier has come under growing pressure to resign following accusations from the judiciary that his office tried to influence a court ruling on the sale of parts of Fortis to the French banking giant BNP Paribas.

Leterme has denied the accusations, but has admitted that one of his aides did contact judges prior to the ruling.

Government officials have said they want to wait for a report into the matter by the head of Belgium's highest court, the Court of Cassation, before drawing any conclusions on the future of the nine- month-old government.

The scandal involves the planned sale of Fortis's operations in Belgium and Luxembourg, which the courts have blocked following complaints from the bank's shareholders.

BNP Paribas has since said it will no longer proceed with its plan to buy a majority stake in Fortis. (dpa)