Prosecutors have agreed to drop the sexual assault charges against former IMF chief and one-time French Presidential favourite Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his lawyers said yesterday.
Their statement came after informed sources said that prosecutors had filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the charges made by a hotel maid, 32-year-old African immigrant Nafissatou Diallo.
Mr Strauss-Kahn’s legal team said the former French politician was “grateful” the New York prosecution team had concluded “that this case cannot proceed further”.“We have maintained from the beginning of this case that our client is innocent,” said lawyers William Taylor and Benjamin Brafman.
The announcement came after the now-famous New York housekeeper and her legal team met with prosecutor Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance amid a media frenzy, with them arriving at court before hundreds of journalists and onlookers.
Ms Diallo’s lawyer Kenneth Thompson said after the meeting a dismissal meant Mr Vance had “denied the right of a woman to get justice in a rape case”.
Mr Vance, he said, has “turned his back” on forensic, medical and other physical evidence in the case against Mr Strauss-Kahn.
Wearing black trousers and a beige jacket, Ms Diallo, who says Mr Strauss-Kahn forced her into oral sex and tried to rape her, had arrived for the meeting protected by several bodyguards in front of hundreds of journalists and onlookers.
The now-famous chamber maid, accompanied by Mr Thompson, arrived at the courthouse after being summoned to a meeting with Mr Vance’s team, who already have made clear that they have grave concerns about her veracity and her reliability as a witness.
Mr Thompson said earlier he still hoped “the DA will stand by Diallo,” but it had appeared increasingly likely that prosecutors will use a court hearing today to ask that the judge formally dismiss charges.
If that happens, Mr Strauss-Kahn will be free to return to France, where his May 14 arrest in New York and brief imprisonment before being freed on bail, caused a political uproar.
The case has captivated international attention after Ms Diallo accused the IMF chief of forcing her into oral sex when she went to clean his luxury hotel room three months ago.
Not only did Mr Strauss-Kahn have to resign as head of the IMF after his arrest, but he had to abandon what was widely expected to be a successful challenge against President Nicolas Sarkozy in upcoming elections.