E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSThe prosecution of former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for pimping is to go ahead, French judges ruled Wednesday.
Diego Azubel / EPA, file
Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a December 2012 file photo.
The ruling was given just over a week after Strauss-Kahn settled a separate civil case in New York with a hotel maid who accused him of attempted rape in May 2011, ending his French presidential hopes and career at the IMF.
While the New York settlement brought his U.S. legal woes to an end, the latest decision by the court in Douai in northern France means he remains under the legal spotlight at home.
"Dominique Strauss-Kahn's defense team is certain that he will ultimately be cleared of these absurd accusations of pimping," lawyer Henri Leclerc said in a statement Wednesday, adding that he planned to appeal to France's supreme court.
Strauss-Kahn denies wrongdoing in all the charges against him.
He is under fire about sex parties with prostitutes in the so-called Carlton Affair, named after a hotel in northern France at the center of the inquiry.
His lawyers argue that consorting with prostitutes is not illegal and that investigators have no grounds for pursuing him on the basis that his behavior could be construed as pimping, which is illegal.
Under French law, prosecution does not automatically lead to trial, but it often takes months or years before a decision is made.
In the United States, Strauss-Kahn's legal troubles ended within 18 months of a sexual-assault complaint filed by New York Sofitel hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.
U.S. prosecutors dropped criminal charges in August 2011, saying they had worries about Guinea-born Diallo's credibility as a witness in court after discovering that she had lied in the past on tax and immigration documents. She opened civil proceedings that ended last week with a settlement for an undisclosed sum.
A former New York hotel maid has settled her sexual assault lawsuit against former International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, although the amount of the settlement was kept confidential. TODAY's Natalie Morales reports.
More world stories from NBC News:
- Sending 'sympathy and love': Newtown's agony echoes in Scottish town
- Richard Engel, NBC News team freed from captors in Syria
- 'We must restore the bond': Japan's new PM vows closer ties with US
- Gift fit for a queen? UK monarch gets 60 place mats
- Conn. massacre: Lessons from Israel, where guns are a way of life
- 'I can only rely on myself': Insurance is expensive, unfamiliar in China
- No more 'bunga bunga'? Italy's Berlusconi, 76, unveils girlfriend, 27
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Leave a Comment:
OK.
"Guinea-born Diallo's credibility as a witness in court after discovering that she had lied in the past on tax and immigration documents"
What did Kahn lie about throughout his life that would discredit him? I hope the French pin him to the cross in their case. Hopefully not too many "Guinea-born" maids and prostitutes out there.
Seriously?! Looking at her pic tells me he wouldn't touch her with a 10 foot pole....
She knew he was a big-wig, went to his room to do her normal thing like dropping of extra towels or pillows then, he probably was messing around with just saying something funny and she knew that if she filed a suit and lied, he'd have to pay her off.
You see, most people coming to America cannot believe our Fk'd up system and how "easy" it is to just say somebody did this that and the other thing to them and come out a millionaire.
Only in America my friends.....Only in America.
Yep, still working in the U.S.
No prosecution by the DOJ nor the IRS.
Ido,
You do not care about the credibility and crime of this Domink prik, but you are worried about this lady's IRS and INS status/issues?
You are no good.
the maids case was dismissed, but she was paid by strauss later.the amount is not known.this guy has serious issues.hope they nail him with something.
This guy is like many type A politicans and high powered business execs.Very high sex drive also.But except for rape or other severes sexual agressions these are not cri.mes Better they have sex than pick up a gun and shoot people or beat them up.Prostitution as long as it doesn`t deprive people of their liberty...which is called kidnappung and is a very serious crime...should be permitted. If the woman or man does it voluntarily and there are no other crimes ,it`s a personal matter! As for this Strauss-Kahn he hardly seems a real danger to society.which doesn`t mean he might not be a scumbag in other areas,but hardly a Jack the Ripper to be crucified!
I think this sick f*ck should explore his political career options in Israel.
Since he is Jewish, he most likely will qualify to run for a seat in Knesset. He can be assured of success if he join forces with Libermann who just resigned his post due to corruption.
What a team they will make; A perfect fit for Israel.
Dominick's resume now includes pimping, on top of lewd conduct. I am sure he did wonders during his years at IMF (With a character like this, fraud/cheat/theft all fair game for him)
The fact that he´s Jewish has nothing to do with this.Bertelsconi is an Italian Catholic.The Belgium politicians involved im the child porn schemes and cover ups were Catholics and Protestant.Your comment is irrelevant and without value and you could be denounced for this comment.But I´ll leave it for others to see what obsession and racism can drive people to.!
Bart,
Get real. Bertelsconi is a shame for Italians. Italians suffered the consequences of his moral issues.
Dominik prik was the HEAD of IMF. Almost all countries one way or the other has a stake in this guy's moral standing, which was turned out to be low.Way too low.
Can you see the difference?
The IMF is among the most evil organizations on the planet and anyone who would work at such a place is a disgusting "person" if you can even consider these warmongers to be "human" at all.
I hope this guy is exposed and his owners are taken down with him. HANGTHEBANKSTERS!