Charges dropped against former IMF chief
A Manhattan court judge has dismissed the criminal case againstt Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
A Manhattan court judge has dismissed the criminal case against former IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn after the prosecution dropped all charges.
Prosecutors told the judge, Michael Obus of State Supreme Court, that they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt because of serious credibility issues with the hotel housekeeper who had accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her as she entered his suite to clean it.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, was sensationally arrested more than three months ago while aboard an Air France jet at Kennedy International Airport. He was then paraded before news cameras, disheveled and in handcuffs.
Meanwhile, his accuser, Nafissatou Diallo, a 33-year-old immigrant from Africa, had her credibility questioned with prosecutors initially portraying her as a victim, only to say that her myriad lies about her past — which included a convincing, emotional but ultimately fraudulent account of being gang raped by soldiers in Guinea — ended up undermining the case.
Ms Diallo still has a civil lawsuit pending against Mr Strauss-Kahn for unspecified monetary damages.
After the hearing, Mr Strauss-Kahn issued a statement, characterising the time since his arrest as “a nightmare for me and my family,” and thanking the judge, his wife and family and other supporters.
He added that he was “obviously gratified that the district attorney agreed with my lawyers that this case had to be dismissed.” “We appreciate his professionalism and that of the people who were involved in that decision,” he continued.
Mr Strauss-Kahn said he looked forward to “returning to our home and resuming something of a more normal life.”
Before his arrest, he was also the strongest contender on the Left to contest next year’s French presidential election against Nicolas Sarkozy. He resigned from from his IMF post, which is now held by former French trade minister Christine Legarde.
Nevil Gibson
Wed, 24 Aug 2011
Wed, 24 Aug 2011
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Charges dropped against former IMF chief
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