Case against former IMF chief ‘near collapse’
“Accusing hotel maid’s character questionable”:
US: The sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the
former chief of the International Monetary Fund, is near collapse, US
media reports say.
Quoting well-placed law enforcement officials, the New York Times
said prosecutors had met Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers on Thursday and the
parties were discussing whether to dismiss the felony charges against
him.
Although forensic evidence showed there had been a sexual encounter
between Strauss-Kahn and his accuser, a hotel maid, the latter had
repeatedly lied and prosecutors did not believe much of she had said.
Sources told the New York Times that the prosecutors had discovered
issues involving the asylum application of the hotel maid, a 32-year-old
Guinean woman, and possible links to criminal activities, including drug
dealing and money laundering.
The prosecutors had discovered that several individuals, including a
man now incarcerated for possessing 180kg of marijuana, had made
deposited close to $100,000 into the woman’s account in the last two
years.
The paper said that the woman had a phone conversation with the
incarcerated man within a day of her encounter with Strauss-Kahn in
which she discussed the possible benefits of pursuing the charges
against him. The conversation was recorded.
Strauss-Kahn’s attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said his client would go
back to court on Thursday to ask for relaxed bail conditions. It is
expected that he will be allowed to travel freely in the United States
but not abroad. He has been confined to an apartment in Manhattan while
awaiting trial.
Strauss-Kahn, 62, was arrested on May 14 in New York on charges of
sexual assualt. He resigned from the IMF on May 19 and pleaded not
guilty on June 6, vehemently denying the allegations. If convicted, he
faces up to 25 years in prison.
Strauss-Kahn’s arrest also shook up French politics as he was a
leading contender for French presidency from the Socialist Party.
His supporters claim that he was being set up. If charges against him
are acquitted, it could throw the presidential race in France wide open.
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was appointedas the new IMF
chief on Tuesday as was expected. Press TV |