Strauss-Kahn prostitution case

Former French presidential hopeful Strauss-Kahn appeared at a Lille courthouse on Monday afternoon - two days ahead of a scheduled appearance, without any official reason being given for the change of date.

Kahn, who resigned from the IMF last year after he was charged with the attempted rape of a New York hotel maid, had previously been questioned by police over the so-called Carlton affair last month.

The 62-year-old, a former Socialist finance minister, is being investigated for aggravated pimping and fraud over his involvement in sex parties with prostitutes in Paris, Brussels and Washington. The parties were organized out of the Hotel Carlton in Lille.

While Strauss-Kahn admits to taking part in the sex parties, he has claimed he did not know the women were prostitutes.

The charges were brought against him in France, after he was accused of the attempted rape of the hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo.

Although the charges were dropped after Diallo's testimony was ruled unreliable, he now faces a civil case brought by her lawyers. Proceedings in that case are due to get underway on Wednesday.

Strauss-Kahn's efforts to redeem his name as a global economist, speaking at conferences, were hit after protests from European members of parliament (MEPs).

He was due to speak at a debate of young MEPs on Tuesday, alongside eurozone chairman and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and former European Central Bank head Jean-Claude Trichet.

Female MEPs protested the plan to have the former IMF head speak, and European Parliament President Martin Schulz was pressured to ask organizers to drop Strauss-Kahn's appearance.

rc/ncy (AFP, dpa, Reuters)