Uploaded by shilohgossip on Jul 1, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair leaving the court 01 july
DSK et Anne Sinclair quitte le tribunal
DSK et Anne Sinclair quitte le tribunal
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn has been released on bail and freed from house arrest following claims that the hotel chambermaid he is accused of attacking repeatedly lied to prosecutors.
The French statesman, 62, has been freed "under his own recognizance" - meaning he will be able to travel freely around the Unites States.
The development might be the first step towards the New York judge dismissing the charges against Strauss-Kahn, who could go on to challenge French President Nicolas Sarkozy in next May's election.
The new twist comes after prosecutors reportedly uncovered major holes in the maid's story.
While forensic tests are said to confirm evidence of a sexual encounter, serious doubts have been raised over the woman's credibility.
They allegedly found evidence that the 32-year-old was "personally associated" with drug dealers and money launderers. She is said to have telephoned a "friend" who is in jail for possessing £400 of marijuana within a day of Strauss-Kahn's arrest, to discuss how she could benefit from the scandal. The conversation was recorded.
One law enforcement source told the New York Post: "She's a con artist." The alleged victim, who worked at Manhattan's Sofitel Hotel, "continuously lied" to the authorities, claimed the official. Investigators also discovered that multiple cash deposits totalling around $100,000 had been paid into the woman's bank account over the past two years.
There were newspaper reports that private investigators hired by Strauss-Kahn's legal team discovered photographs of the maid drinking at parties despite her claims that she is a Muslim.
Strauss-Kahn was hauled off a Paris-bound flight to face charges that he sexually assaulted the maid after she mistakenly went into his $3,000-a-night room while he was having a shower.
The maid told police that Strauss-Kahn chased her down a hallway in his suite, tried to pull down her tights and forced her to perform oral sex before she broke free.
Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, who claim their client had consensual sex with the maid, are said to have met prosecutors yesterday to discuss dismissing the charges.
The maid is sticking by her claims and has reportedly told prosecutors that she is the victim of a "smear campaign".
Strauss-Kahn has been confined to a £30,000-a-month rented New York home since being charged eight weeks ago with sexual abuse and attempted rape. The charges could land him a 25-year jail sentence.
A collapse of the case would be a stunning turnabout for the politician, who was forced to quit his IMF post in disgrace. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
The news caused a frenzy of headlines in France and prompted speculation that Strauss-Khan, a prominent member of the Socialist Party, could still revive his presidential bid if he is cleared.
"This is like a thunderbolt," said Lionel Jospin, a former Socialist prime minister who is close to Strauss-Kahn. According to the New York Post, the New York District Attorney's office is now looking at three possible alternative scenarios that would all destroy the sex assault case against him.
One is that they had consensual sex, another is that Strauss-Kahn paid the maid for the tryst and the third is that she may have set him up as part of an extortion plot.
Ever since Strauss-Kahn's arrest on May 14, his supporters have claimed that the banker was set up by his political rivals in a sinister attempt to sabotage his presidential ambitions.
Although the arrest triggered other allegations of sexual impropriety by Strauss-Kahn, his US-born billionaire wife Anne Sinclair has stuck by him from the start.
French politician Michele Sabban said today that the Socialists should suspend the presidential primary calendar because of the new developments.
The French statesman, 62, has been freed "under his own recognizance" - meaning he will be able to travel freely around the Unites States.
The development might be the first step towards the New York judge dismissing the charges against Strauss-Kahn, who could go on to challenge French President Nicolas Sarkozy in next May's election.
The new twist comes after prosecutors reportedly uncovered major holes in the maid's story.
While forensic tests are said to confirm evidence of a sexual encounter, serious doubts have been raised over the woman's credibility.
They allegedly found evidence that the 32-year-old was "personally associated" with drug dealers and money launderers. She is said to have telephoned a "friend" who is in jail for possessing £400 of marijuana within a day of Strauss-Kahn's arrest, to discuss how she could benefit from the scandal. The conversation was recorded.
One law enforcement source told the New York Post: "She's a con artist." The alleged victim, who worked at Manhattan's Sofitel Hotel, "continuously lied" to the authorities, claimed the official. Investigators also discovered that multiple cash deposits totalling around $100,000 had been paid into the woman's bank account over the past two years.
There were newspaper reports that private investigators hired by Strauss-Kahn's legal team discovered photographs of the maid drinking at parties despite her claims that she is a Muslim.
Strauss-Kahn was hauled off a Paris-bound flight to face charges that he sexually assaulted the maid after she mistakenly went into his $3,000-a-night room while he was having a shower.
The maid told police that Strauss-Kahn chased her down a hallway in his suite, tried to pull down her tights and forced her to perform oral sex before she broke free.
Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, who claim their client had consensual sex with the maid, are said to have met prosecutors yesterday to discuss dismissing the charges.
The maid is sticking by her claims and has reportedly told prosecutors that she is the victim of a "smear campaign".
Strauss-Kahn has been confined to a £30,000-a-month rented New York home since being charged eight weeks ago with sexual abuse and attempted rape. The charges could land him a 25-year jail sentence.
A collapse of the case would be a stunning turnabout for the politician, who was forced to quit his IMF post in disgrace. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
The news caused a frenzy of headlines in France and prompted speculation that Strauss-Khan, a prominent member of the Socialist Party, could still revive his presidential bid if he is cleared.
"This is like a thunderbolt," said Lionel Jospin, a former Socialist prime minister who is close to Strauss-Kahn. According to the New York Post, the New York District Attorney's office is now looking at three possible alternative scenarios that would all destroy the sex assault case against him.
One is that they had consensual sex, another is that Strauss-Kahn paid the maid for the tryst and the third is that she may have set him up as part of an extortion plot.
Ever since Strauss-Kahn's arrest on May 14, his supporters have claimed that the banker was set up by his political rivals in a sinister attempt to sabotage his presidential ambitions.
Although the arrest triggered other allegations of sexual impropriety by Strauss-Kahn, his US-born billionaire wife Anne Sinclair has stuck by him from the start.
French politician Michele Sabban said today that the Socialists should suspend the presidential primary calendar because of the new developments.
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