Off the hook?

Former International Monetary Fund director and leading French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn could be freed this week, as prosecutors reportedly were preparing to dismiss sexual assault charges leveled against him.

The New York Post cited unnamed sources saying prosecutors would file a Dismissal on Recommendation motion this week, because the charges could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Nafissatou Diallo, who accused Strauss-Kahn of forcing her to perform oral sex and trying to rape her when she came to clean his luxury hotel room on May 14, has been summoned to a meeting on Monday with prosecutors.

Kenneth Thompson, who represents the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant, said after receiving a letter from prosecutors that he thought all or some of the charges against Strauss-Kahn could be dropped.

"My interpretation of that letter is that they're going to announce that they're dismissing the case entirely, or some of the charges," Thompson told The New York Times on Saturday.

"If they were not going to dismiss the charges," he added, "there would be no need to meet with her. They would just go to court the next day to say, 'We're going to proceed with the case.'"

Credibility problems

The criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn came into doubt after Diallo's credibility was questioned, leading to the former IMF head's release from house arrest in July.

In a letter sent to Strauss-Kahn's lawyers and filed with the judge last month, prosecutors said Diallo had lied about her background in her application for asylum to the United States and about what happened immediately after the alleged attack in the hotel.

Defense attorneys have urged prosecutors to drop the charges after it was revealed that Diallo had lied several times and sought to gain money from the case.

The maid was cleaning at the Sofitel Hotel in mid-town Manhattan, where Strauss-Kahn was a guest, when she was allegedly attacked. The then IMF chief was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual assault and attempted rape.

Strauss-Kahn, once seen as a contender for the French presidency, has denied the charges. His lawyers have claimed the sexual encounter, which has been confirmed by DNA evidence, was consensual.

Author: Gabriel Borrud (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Kyle James