Saturday, 02 July – The former head of the International Monetary Fund Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was freed from house arrest after prosecutors said the 32-year-old maid accusing him of sexual assault had lied to a grand jury.
On Friday a judge ordered Mr Strauss-Kahn released on his own recognizance.
Since his arrest on May 14, Mr Strauss-Kahn had spent a night at a police station, one night in court, four nights in jail – and the rest of the time under house arrest under detention conditions.
Before being accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York on 14 May, Mr Strauss-Kahn was tipped as a possible French presidential candidate.
The case is reportedly close to collapse after doubts emerged about the credibility of the maid
His is now free to travel in the US, although he cannot leave the country and must appear in court again later this month.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund to defend himself, vigorously denies the charges.
Earlier, Mr Strauss-Kahn had been the favorite to be the Socialist Party’s candidate for the French presidency in May 2011.
According to BBC’s Christian Fraser in Paris, Despite the court events, the expectation is growing here in France the case will ultimately collapse.
And if that happens, the only person who can rule his out of next year’s contest is Mr Strauss-Kahn himself.
Lionel Jospin, the last Socialist Prime Minister, said: “If we hypothesize that Dominique is cleared of all suspicion and all charges, which I obviously hope will happen, then it will be first down to him to decide… and then it will be down to the Socialists to decide.”
While Jean-Marie Le Guen, a socialist MP said, he thought it likely that Mr Strauss-Kahn would stand.
He said, “Yes, he will be present for the presidential campaign.”
“Since Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a fighter, he will fight in our country if If what we heard… is true, that the American justice will free him and re-habilitate him, give him back his honour and dignity.”
The list for nominations is due to close on 13 July – five days before his next scheduled court appearance.
But the deadline could be extended, Francois Hollande a senior Socialist said.
Our correspondent says there are though plenty in France who hold Mr Strauss-Kahn in high admiration for the way he has conducted himself in court, there is sympathy and renewed hope among his staunchest allies.
Amid intense speculation that the sexual assault case against him was wavering, a judge in New York lifted the strict bail conditions imposed on Mr Strauss-Kahn
He had been under house arrest since posting a $6m bail bond.
Prosecutors were forced to admit that they were reassessing the strength of the evidence against him, when the 62-year-old appeared in court.
Although the charges that he attempted to rape a hotel maid still stand.
The prosecutors submitted a letter to the court and said that the maid had given false testimony to a grand jury, omitting the fact that she had cleaned another room before alerting a supervisor to her claims of sexual assault.
Justice Michael Obus told the court, “I understand that the circumstances of this case have changed substantially, and I agree the risk that he would not be here has receded quite a bit. I release Mr Strauss-Kahn at his own recognizance.”
The maid claims that Mr Strauss-Kahn chased her down a hallway in his expensive hotel suite in the Sofitel hotel before sexually assaulting her.
According to unnamed law enforcement officials have now told US media the accuser has repeatedly lied since the alleged attack.
The officials suspects she has links to drugs dealers and money-laundering and they believe the woman also lied on her application for asylum, particularly over an allegation that she had been raped while at home in Guinea. They also suspect she has links to drugs dealers and money-laundering.
William Taylor, Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer, said he believed the next step would lead to the complete dismissal of the charges.
Kenneth Thompson, the maid’s lawyer maintained that his client’s story was genuine and that Mr. Strauss-Kahn was guilty of sexual assault charges.
Mr. Thompson said, “From day one she has described a violent sexual assault that Dominique Strauss-Kahn committed against her.”
He also added that Mr. Strauss-Kahn bruised the maid’s body and threw her to the floor.
Mr. Thompson further added, “she has never once changed a single thing about that account. The district attorney knows that.”
He said, “The only defence Dominique Strauss-Kahn has is that this sexual encounter was consensual. That is a lie.”
