Residents’ objections stall Strauss-Kahn’s release on bail

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was being freed on bail yesterday evening or early today under armed guard and placed on house arrest, after a US judge approved his release.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who has been charged with sexually assaulting a chambermaid, was to be released from the notorious Rikers Island jail late yesterday or early today according to the official bondsman said.

The judge has ordered the 62-year-old veteran French politician to be housed in a home detention location in downtown Manhattan, close to Ground Zero.

The new arrangement was made after plans for him to live under round-the-clock surveillance in a plush apartment rented by his wife, Anne Sinclair, reportedly fell through when residents in the complex objected.

Defence lawyer William Taylor confirmed the earlier plan for the former IMF chief to live in the apartment had been changed.

“The reason why they changed plans is because the media invaded the first place,” Mr Taylor said, after a hastily called court hearing to detail the new arrangements to the judge.

Earlier a media pack had gathered outside the glitzy-looking Bristol Plaza on East 65th Street in Manhattan, which several reports said had been rented by Ms Sinclair.

Judge Michael Obus accepted $1 million bail in cash and signed off on a $5 million insurance bond for Mr Strauss-Kahn, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assault of a Guinean chambermaid.