Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accuser Could Face Perjury Charges

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The hotel maid who alleges that she was sexually attacked by Dominique Strauss-Kahn could face charges for perjury or be deported from the US following claims that she lied under oath.

The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.

Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.

But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".

But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year.

A letter filed to court by Cyrus Vance jr, the Manhattan district attorney, said: "The complainant testified to this version of events when questioned in the Grand Jury about her actions".

However she "has since admitted that this account was false" and that she went on to clean another room, and returned to clean Mr Strauss-Kahn's suite, before reporting the incident to her supervisor.

Professor Kevin Johnson, the dean of the University of California's law school and an expert in immigration law, said: "The department of homeland security could try to reopen her asylum case on the basis that she appears to have lied in her application, and ultimately say that she should be removed from the country. This is an extraordinary case ... I can imagine the department going after her". Read on and comment » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accuser Could Face Perjury Charges

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The hotel maid who alleges that she was sexually attacked by Dominique Strauss-Kahn could face charges for perjury or be deported from the US following claims that she lied under oath.

The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.

Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.

But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".

But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011

My comment:

Allah won't be best pleased with this young lady of dubious repute! – © Mark

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Strauss-Kahn: Jumping to Conclusions?

DSK Affair: More Claims against Maid as Guests Say She Sold Sex

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: NEW YORK – The criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief accused of sexually assaulting a maid at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan six weeks ago, continues to unravel amid deepening questions about the credibility of his accuser.

The earlier portrayal of the maid as a pious, devout Muslim was being torn apart in briefings from the defence team and news reports. The New York Post claimed male guests at the Sofitel had paid her for sexual services, quoting an unnamed source close to Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence team.

Last week, investigators received the full translation of a telephone conversation that took place 28 hours after the alleged assault between the maid and a man said to be her boyfriend, who is in an Arizona prison for alleged possession of 180 kilograms of marijuana.

The exchange, in a tribal dialect, was recorded, as is routine in the US. ''She says words to the effect of 'Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I am doing','' a police source said.

Although she also recounted that she had been assaulted, the suggestion that she might have seen some financial advantage to the fallout was deeply troubling for prosecutors. (+ video) » | Peter Finn, Jenna Johnson, Philip Sherwell, London | Monday, July 04, 2011

Inside Story: DSK, the Case and the Chaos
Discussion with Christian Malard, a political correspondent with France 3 TV; Brian Cathcart, a professor of journalism at Kingston University and a media columnist at the New Statesman; and Paul Tweed, a media lawyer.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Walks Free after Maid Rape Case Crumbles
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Seven weeks after a haggard and scowling shadow of Dominique Strauss-Kahn was first hauled in front of a New York judge, his old self swaggered into room 1324 at the state supreme court on Friday with a broad smile.


In a crisp navy suit, pressed white shirt and baby blue tie, he beamed like a man already plotting his sensational comeback as a statesman, while New York prosecutors and lawyers for the 32-year-old hotel maid who continues to allege that he tried to rape her looked shell-shocked.

Eight minutes later, the 62-year-old – who had been under house arrest and armed guard in a Manhattan townhouse, wearing an electronic tag – was free. The $1 million (£620,000) cash bail and $5 million (£3.1 million) bond put up by his wife, the wealthy heiress Anne Sinclair, were returned.

Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, an assistant district attorney, told the court that "the fact of a sexual encounter" between the pair, after the maid arrived to clean suite 2086 of the Manhattan Sofitel on May 14, "was and is corroborated by the forensic evidence".

Mr Strauss-Kahn remains charged with forcing the woman to give him oral sex after trying to rape her, before fleeing and being arrested aboard a flight on the tarmac of JFK airport, minutes away from take-off for Paris.

The French Socialist, who had been expected to stand against Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency in 2012, was forced to resign as head of the International Monetary fund five days later, his career apparently in tatters.

However, "substantial credibility issues" have been found with the maid, Ms Illuzzi-Orbon told the court, following a "comprehensive and thorough investigation of all aspects of this case, including the background of the complainant and her various statements about the incident". » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, July 01, 2011

My comment:

I said from the start that things didn't add up in this case, and they have been shown not to do so. The case against DSK appeared to be flimsy by anyone's standards. Things that were being said about the chambermaid just didn't add up either. From the beginning, it seemed to me that the chambermaid might have just been fortune-hunting. They tried to say that she didn't know who DSK was. But that didn't ring true. She was cleaning a penthouse suite in a fine hotel. Hotel staff would have informed her whose room she was cleaning, and she would in all probability have been told to pay close attention to detail when cleaning the room, because of the importance of the person staying in the suite. That's how it works in fine hotels, and more especially with guests who are regulars. And, by all accounts, DSK was a regular guest. – © Mark

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DSK Has Bail Lifted Over Sex Assault Case

SKY NEWS: Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released without bail over sexual assault allegations.

The former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief had his strict bail conditions lifted after he seeked to change them in a New York Court.

He was given his cash bond back but the judge told him he still could not leave the country and authorities retained his travel documents.

Prosecutors told the court the credibility of the hotel maid who accused him had been thrown into question.

Justice Michael Obus said: "I understand that the circumstances of this case have changed substantially ... I release Mr Strauss-Kahn."

But the judge stressed that the "case is not over" and said the French politician was due to appear before the courts again on July 18.

Outside the court, Strauss-Kahn's lawyer said he was confident he "will be exonerated". » | Friday, July 01, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case 'On Verge of Collapse' amid Doubts over Maid

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexually attacking a hotel maid, could be on the verge of collapse, it was claimed on Thursday night.

Prosecutors have serious concerns about the credibility of the 32-year-old maid who accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her, according to several reports.

They believe she has lied about their encounter, has links to a drug dealer and received strange payments into her bank account, according to The New York Times.

The woman's account of why she received asylum in the US, and even her claim to own only one mobile phone, have also been called into serious doubt, the report said.

Citing unnamed law-enforcement sources, the newspaper reported that New York prosecutors had admitted to Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyers that there were serious problems with their case.

CNN, citing an unnamed "official close to Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence team", also said there were "serious issues regarding the credibility" of the maid.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, is due in court at 11.30 (16.30 BST) on Friday, where he is expected to have the strict conditions of his $1 million (£620,000) bail relaxed. He is under house arrest and armed guard, and must wear an electronic tag.

But the newspaper said that the flaws in the prosecution were so great that he could soon also have all eight criminal charges against him - including attempted rape and criminal sexual acts - dismissed. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, July 01, 2011

My comment:

When this story broke, almost everyone on the The Daily Telegraph forums were ready to indict this poor man for a 'crime' they were convinced he had committed. Not I. I hate to say I told you so, because it sounds so smug. But I truly did. And if this newspaper hadn't taken down the comments to that particular article, you could find it here.

But they have, so I can't. So here is the comment (one of many, actually), where I stated that we shouldn't rush to judgement:

Whilst this man has got a reputation of being a womanizer, and whilst his sexual appetite may be as large as his intellectual appetite, there are certain aspects of this story which simply do not ring true. As I have already stated in an earlier comment, where is this woman getting the money from to pay for a high-flying New York lawyer? But there are many other inconsistencies, too. At first they said she was a devout Muslim, but photos of her show that she wears short-sleeve dresses, she doesn't cover her hair, and lives in a home for HIV sufferers. That simply doesn't add up. These are not the hallmarks of a devout Muslimah.

In addition, it was first stated that she knew exactly who DSK was. Now they are trying to say that she didn't have a clue who he was. By all accounts, he was a regular guest at the Sofitel in Manhattan. How come she didn't know? She had been working there for several years. News of celebrities and famous people travels like wildfire through the corridors of the hotel staff. It is simply difficult to swallow this supposed ignorance. In fact, front desk would in all probability have informed her to be extra careful when making up DSK's room. That's how it works in exclusive hotels, and more especially for regular customers.

Whilst so many people commenting on newspapers are only too ready to convict DSK even before his trial, I prefer to keep an open mind. Being a womanizer and paying for prostitutes – all of which is certainly nothing to be proud of – in and of itself does not make him guilty in this particular case.

I can't help but have a nagging doubt in my mind that he has been set up for the purposes of notoriety and fortune. We all know how Americans love a great story, and we all know how fabulously wealthy people can become when they have a humdinger of a story to sell to the media. And this story is one big humdinger. Whatever the facts of the story, it is to be hoped that the truth will come out in the court. But one thing is for sure: This young chambermaid will not have to clean rooms in any hotel for much longer. I hope her wheelbarrow is large enough to carry the pots of gold which will soon be coming her way.

I'm glad to see that my words have been vindicated. – © Mark

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DSK Lawyers to Argue Arrest Was Unlawful

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lawyers working for Dominique Strauss-Kahn will seek to argue that the former head of the IMF's arrest on rape charges was unlawful due to a procedural error, it emerged yesterday.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 60, was arrested on May 15 while awaiting take-off to Paris from New York on charges of sexually assaulting and sequestering a chambermaid from a Sofitel hotel in New York.

His alleged victim, a 31-year old single mother of Guinean origin, formally identified him through one-way glass during a police line – up the following day.

But his two lawyers told the Libération newspaper yesterday that they have grounds to argue the identification was illegal, as the plaintiff had been shown pictures of Mr Strauss-Kahn prior to the line-up.

Citing an account of events released by Manhattan's district attorney, the lawyers said it showed that the maid had been shown a photo of Mr Strauss-Kahn by hotel staff shortly after the alleged attack, and that she saw pictures on TV of the one-time French presidential hopeful while waiting to identify him at the police station. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, June 30, 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Wife Has 'No Doubts' He Is Innocent

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn's wife has said she has "no doubts" he is innocent of rape charges as his family has come out in support of the former International Monetary Fund chief.

The words from Anne Sinclair, a former star TV presenter and art heiress, coincided with the release of previously censored extracts of a book by a female journalist alleging Mr Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her.

In an email sent to Mr Straus-Kahn's biographer, Miss Sinclair writes: "No doubts about the facts. But very worried nevertheless." "Dominique is a good, honest, upright man. I believe in him more than ever.

Our couple is solid in any ordeal. We will get through this drama together, dignified and upright, hand in hand," she goes on.

Her email dates back to May 19, five days after Mr Strauss-Kahn was arrested while awaiting take-off to Paris from New York on charges of sexually assaulting a chambermaid from the Sofitel hotel.

The previously unpublished exchange will feature in refreshed edition of Michel Taubmann's book, The Real Novel of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, out next Thursday. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Strauss Kahn Claimed 'Diplomatic Immunity'
Newly released documents reveal the former head of the IMF told police he had diplomatic immunity when he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

DSK : L’avocat star Norman Siegel ne défendra pas Nafissatou Diallo

FRANCE SOIR: Poids lourd de l’équipe légale entourant Nafissatou Diallo, le célèbre justicier des droits civiques a confirmé jeudi qu’il ne représentait plus la victime présumée de Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Norman Siegel, un des piliers de la défense de Nafissatou Diallo, a confirmé jeudi qu’il ne faisait plus partie de l’équipe d’avocats chargée de représenter la victime présumée de DSK. Il n’a pas souhaité donner les raisons du revirement. « Je ne représente plus cette femme, a-t-il simplement dit par téléphone. C’est tout ce que je dirai pour l’instant. » » | Par Par Alexis Buisson, correspondant à New York | Lundi 13 Juin 2011

New York Maids Demand to Be Heard as They Dish the Dirt on Hotel Life

THE GUARDIAN: The Dominique Strauss-Kahn case casts a spotlight on workers who face abuse, lechery and filth

The life of a hotel maid is not an easy one, with naked men flaunting their wares, verbal abuse, lecherous suggestions and personal hygiene standards that would shame a chimp. But thanks to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, things may be about to improve.

There are more than 10,000 hotel maids – or room attendants as they prefer to be called – in New York City. An invisible army of cleaners working for $24 (£15) an hour (if they have a union job), they rarely hit the headlines.

But their work was thrust into the spotlight after the alleged attack by theformer head of the International Monetary Fund on one of their number in room 2806 of the Times Square Sofitel last month.

Politicians are calling for security checks, more cases of abuse are coming out into the open and the voices of the maids themselves are being heard.

This week, as Strauss-Kahn, hand in hand with his millionaire wife, made his way to court to plead not guilty to the charges against him, a group of maids chanted "shame, shame" to make the news around the world.

They intend to be there again when the trial begins but, in the meantime, they hope their employers and customers are learning something about what it means to be a maid in Manhattan. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Friday, June 10, 2011

French Television Appeal for Other Women 'Assaulted' by Dominique Strauss-Kahn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A lawyer for the maid who claims Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexually attacked her has appeared on television to appeal for other women he may have assaulted to come forward.

Kenneth Thompson, the head of a new legal team representing the 32-year-old Guinean woman, believes any victims who can describe similar attacks could help bolster the maid's case.

"If there is any woman out there, whether in France or in Africa, who has been sexually assaulted or sexually abused by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, I ask them to please call me," he said on France 2.

"My law firm champions the rights of people who are taken advantage of all over the world. And so we take this case because we feel that no woman should be sexually assaulted anywhere." » | Jon Swaine, New York | Thursday, June 09, 2011

DSK: appel de l'avocat de la femme de chambre
FRANCE 2.fr: L'avocat de la femme qui accuse DSK a lancé sur France 2 un appel à d'éventuelles autres victimes de l'ex-boss du FMI

"S'il y a des femmes en France ou en Afrique qui a été agressée sexuellement ou violée par Dominique Strauss-Kahn, qu'elle m'appelle, qu'elle me contacte, car nous voulons l'aider, nous voulons lui parler", a dit Me Kenneth Thompson, le nouvel avocat de la femme de chambre du Sofitel de New York. » | Par FTV (avec agences) | Mercredi 08 Juin 2011

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accusers Says [sic] She Will 'Tell the World' in Testimony against Him

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday mounted his fight-back against charges that he sexually attacked a hotel maid, pleading "not guilty" in a Manhattan court as the woman's lawyers said she would "tell the world" what he did by testifying against him.

The former International Monetary Fund chief was met outside the court by dozens of maids chanting "shame on you".

Smiling and swaggering in a crisp blue suit and tie, the 62-year-old, out on $1 million (£600,000) bail, was transformed from the haggard figure who first stumbled into court last month.

He was flanked by his multimillionaire wife, Anne Sinclair, 62, who wore a dark blazer and skirt and looked refreshed by her stay at the $14 million (£8.5 million) townhouse where her husband is under house arrest and armed guard.

In a seven-minute hearing at New York Supreme Court, Mr Strauss-Kahn was read the seven charges relating to his alleged attack of the 32-year-old maid.

He is accused of attempting to rape the Guinean mother-of-one, before forcing her to perform oral sex, after she arrived to clean his suite at the Sofitel, near Times Square, on May 14. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Monday, June 06, 2011

My comment:

What a bloody circus! And they call this justice! They splattered DSK's visage all over the Web, but nobody has had the balls to show a photo of the woman who has supposedly been raped. In my opinion, if she has the courage to come forward and claim "rape," then she should also have the courage to allow her photo to be shown to the world. Otherwise, don't show the photograph of either party. Why should one side have all the privileges? If this is what the Americans call justice, then it's a bad show! – © Mark

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Strauss-Kahn Pleads Not Guilty
June 6 - Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he sexually assaulted a New York hotel maid in a case that cost him his job and a chance at the French presidency. Rough cut (no reporter narration)

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Pleads Not Guilty to Rape Charges

THE GUARDIAN: Former head of IMF will face trial and remains under house arrest in New York accused of raping hotel maid

Dominique Strauss Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, has pleaded not guilty to charges he raped a hotel maid.

The one-time French presidential hopeful will face trial over the allegations that cost him his job and sent the IMF into crisis. He will be back in court on 18 July.

At a brief hearing at Manhattan criminal court he pleaded not guilty in a strong voice, standing between his defence team and watched by his wife, the millionaire former journalist Anne Sinclair.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said they needed six weeks to assess evidence that has been collected by the US authorities. DNA matching Strauss-Kahn's has reportedly been found in semen on the maid's clothing and on a section of carpet from his hotel room. Experts say the defence will probably argue that any sexual contact between the maid and Strauss-Kahn was consensual. » | Dominic Rushe in New York | Monday, June 06, 2011

Why Anne Sinclair Is Standing by Dominique Strauss-Kahn

THE GUARDIAN: As the former IMF chief faces charges of violent sexual assault, the rumours about his sex life are swirling around the media. But one woman refuses to believe a word of it – his wife

As Dominique Strauss-Kahn sat in a New York court for a bail hearing, accused of attempting to rape a hotel maid, the focus was on the stomach-churning allegations. One of the world's most powerful men stood charged with locking his hotel suite, dragging an immigrant cleaner from room to room, grabbing and assaulting her, using brute strength to twice force her to give him oral sex, pinning her down and trying to rape her. But one subtle moment in his televised hearing captivated France. After he was granted bail, Strauss-Kahn raised his eyes to his wife sitting in the front row of the public seats, smiled and blew her a kiss. She, a feminist and former political journalist, pressed her lips to the palm of her hand and blew him a kiss back.

What intrigues France about the political rape scandal of the century is that behind it all there is a bizarre and gripping love story. Strauss-Kahn's wife, Anne Sinclair, once the most famous, brilliant and beautiful TV star in France, is still utterly in love with him, her friends say. Locked up in the notorious Rikers Island jail for four days after his arrest, the head of the International Monetary Fund and once the great hope to become Socialist president of France wrote that he loved his wife "more than anything". She said she didn't believe "for a single second" that her husband was guilty.

Sinclair has long been an institution in France: the star French TV interviewer of the 80s – a cross between Terry Wogan, Angela Rippon and Jeremy Paxman – famous for her blue eyes and mohair jumpers. But now, at 62, she has become something much more controversial: France's martyred wife, both a heroine of bravery and object of pity, a potent symbol of women's humiliation not just in the face of French male philandering, but possible sex crime. Celebrity magazines have boosted sales by putting her "smile of suffering" on the cover. Paris Match likened her to Marianne, the woman warrior symbol of France, but "more blind and deaf". » | Angelique Chrisafis | Friday, June 03, 2011

Affaire DSK: Audience cruciale à Manhattan

FRANCE SOIR: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, par la voix de son avocat, plaidera « non coupable » lundi matin, devant le juge de la Cour suprême. Une stratégie risquée.

C’est sans doute la dernière apparition publique de Dominique Strauss-Kahn avant plusieurs semaines. Lundi matin, le patron déchu du Fonds monétaire international (FMI) est convoqué, pour la deuxième fois, devant l’« honorable juge » de la Court suprême de New York Michaël Obus. Une audience cruciale qui dictera la ligne de défense du Français le plus célèbre de Manhattan depuis qu’il a été arrêté le 14 mai, alors qu’il venait d’embarquer sur un vol d’Air France à destination de Paris.

Accusé de tentative de viol et d’agression sexuelle sur Nafissatou Diallo, une employée de l’hôtel Sofitel Times Square où il avait résidé deux nuits, DSK était placé en garde à vue dans les locaux de la Special Victims Unit, le service de police de New York spécialisé dans les affaires de mœurs. Dans les jours qui suivaient, l’ex-ministre français était envoyé derrière les barreaux d’une cellule de Rikers Island – un immense complexe pénitentiaire situé sur une île au large de Manhattan – avant d’être officiellement inculpé. » | D’envoyée speciale à New York du France Soir, Sandrine Briclot | Lundi 06 Juin 2011

DSK : le calme avant la tempête

FRANCE SOIR: Dernier week-end pour l'ex-patron du FMI avant de comparaître, lundi, devant la Cour suprême de New-York. Et l'ouverture – officielle - des hostilités.

A TriBeCa comme sur le reste de l'île de Manhattan, le week-end s'annonce orageux. Depuis plusieurs jours déjà, une lourde chaleur étouffe les avenues encombrées et assourdissantes de New-York, et liquéfie les valeureux touristes en short. A deux « blocks » du tumulte de Broadway et de Canal Street, le quartier de TriBeCa, avec ses squares, ses terrasses de restaurants et ses petits immeubles, est un havre de paix. Loin de l'effervescence de Wall Street et des grattes-ciel époustouflants de Central Park.

Au 153 Franklin Street, quatre parasols rouges et blancs ont été dressés sur la petite terrasse, totalement invisible depuis la rue, calme et pavée. Impossible, cependant, de savoir si Dominique Strauss-Kahn, bracelet électronique à la cheville, et son épouse Anne Sinclair viennent goûter là l'ombre et la brise de la rivière Hudson : les rares photographes qui se sont risqués à escalader l'échafaudage d'un immeuble voisin ont été délogés avant d'immortaliser une scène très hypothétique en cette fin de semaine. Car, en perspective de sa comparution, lundi, devant la Cour suprême de New-York, DSK a mieux à faire que de paresser sur son toit. Ce week-end sera en effet le dernier avant l'ouverture – officielle – des hostilités judiciaires avec le procureur de Manhattan Cyrus Vance Jr. Une lutte sans merci que Strauss-Kahn a bien l'intention d'emporter après avoir plaidé « non coupable » de la tentative de viol dont l'accuse Nafissatou Diallo, femme de chambre à l'hôtel Sofitel de New-York. » | Par envoyée spéciale dee France Soir à New-York, Sandrine Briclot | Vendredi 03 Juin 2011

Can Strauss-Kahn Buy His Way to Freedom?

THE INDEPENDENT: The ex-IMF chief is sparing no expense to stay out of jail. David Usborne reports

He has bought himself freedom on bail and secured a luxury townhouse in Manhattan where he must drum his fingers until trial. But Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexual assault, is busy investing in something more vital: the crack defence team he hopes will keep him out of prison for good.

Money is being spent quickly to win the services not only of braggadocio-filled lawyers like Benjamin Brafman, whose past clients have included P Diddy and Michael Jackson, but also figures more used to operating in the shadows. Former CIA spies may be on board, as well as a retired US diplomat, a secretive security and investigative firm in New York and some well connected PR pals from Paris.

The defendant, known around the world now by his initials, DSK, has denied the charges against him of a criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching, all arising from an encounter with a hotel maid in Manhattan on 14 May. Even so, with the trial still months away, he may want to test the premise that justice is blind to money and social stature.

His lawyers told a judge at his arraignment that he was worth "roughly $2m". But they added that Ann[e] Sinclair, his wife and the granddaughter of the art collector Paul Rosenberg, had "substantially greater assets". It is Ms Sinclair, who rushed to New York when her husband was arrested, who found the townhouse (monthly rental $50,000) and has led the hiring spree so preparations for the trial can begin. » | David Usborne | Tuesday, May 31, 2011