Case collapses

The sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn are set to be dropped, paving the way for Strauss-Kahn to return to his native France in a possible bid to salvage his tarnished political career.

Strauss-Kahn was arrested in May on charges that he tried to rape 32-year-old Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel maid, in his luxury suite at New York City's Sofitel Hotel.

The credibility of Diallo's testimony came under growing scrutiny, however, after she admitted to making inaccurate statements about what happened after the encounter with Strauss-Kahn and lying about her past.

"We have maintained from the beginning of this case that our client is innocent," Strauss-Kahn's lawyers William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman said in a statement.

Diallo's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, expressed outrage over the pending dismissal of the charges, criticizing the work of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. who met with Diallo on Monday.

"He [Vance] has not only turned his back on this victim but he has also turned his back on the forensic, medical and other physical evidence in this case," said Thompson.

"If the Manhattan district attorney, who is elected to protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our wives and our loved ones, is not going to stand up for them when they're raped or sexually assaulted, then who will?"

Political comeback unlikely

If the charges are dropped, Strauss-Kahn will be free to return to his native France after being restricted to the United States under court order since his May arrest.

Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign his position at the IMF in the aftermath of the scandal, and his ambition to run as the Socialist candidate against French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 election was torpedoed.

Although a dismissal of the charges would mean Strauss-Kahn is legally innocent, political commentators in France believe his reputation has been permanently damaged.

"I don't think he can hope for a center stage role in French politics now," political scientist Gerard Grunberg with the Sciences-Po school in Paris told news agency AFP.

"His public image is much deteriorated and the Socialist Party and its leaders must be mad at him for having missed this moment of opportunity," Grunberg added. "Neither the public nor the party want to see him back on the front line."

Strauss-Kahn also faces an investigation by French authorities into sexual assault allegations leveled by journalist Tristane Banon. Banon filed a criminal complaint accusing Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her during an interview in a Paris apartment in 2003.

Author: Spencer Kimball
Editor: Martin Kuebler