Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being held under house arrest in New York Friday, July 1, 2011
'Doubts' over Strauss-Kahn case
Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being held under house arrest in New York The sex assault case against former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn appears to be in trouble amid reported concerns over the alleged victim's credibility.
Law enforcement officials have told US media the accuser has repeatedly lied since the alleged attack on 14 May.
The Guinean-born maid also appeared to have lied in her asylum application, officials reportedly said.
Mr Strauss-Kahn is due in court on Friday. His lawyers are expected to ask for his bail conditions to be relaxed.
The 62-year-old French politician has been under house arrest in a New York apartment since posting a total $6m (£3.7m) cash bail and bond in May. He has armed guards, electronic surveillance and wears an electronic ankle monitor.
He is charged with seven counts including four felony charges - two of criminal sexual acts, one of attempted rape and one of sexual abuse - plus three misdemeanour offences, including unlawful imprisonment.
View from France
Whatever the merits of this new evidence, or of the character of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the French felt particularly aggrieved at the way the case was conducted in the days after his arrest.
It was not only his reputation that was tarnished, but also that of the French nation in the eyes of the international community. The "perp walk", the parading of the accused, the headlines such as "Chez Perv" and "Frog Legs It", were widely perceived as insulting and humiliating.
And already the French media is talking about Mr Strauss-Kahn's rehabilitation, even though there is unambiguous DNA evidence that a sexual encounter did take place.
The list of socialist candidates for next year's presidential election is still open and will be for two more weeks. But it is surely unthinkable that Dominique Strauss-Kahn will re-enter the race.
Aside from the allegations in New York, there has been too much written about his previous encounters and his questionable behaviour towards women.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund to defend himself, vigorously denies the charges.
In earlier court hearings, prosecutors had spoken of the strength of their case. One attorney said the proof against him was "substantial".
But US media now report that prosecutors plan to outline their concerns about the 32-year-old maid's credibility to the judge in Friday's court hearing.
Although forensic tests found unambiguous evidence of a sexual encounter between Mr Strauss-Kahn and the woman, prosecutors now do not believe much of what the accuser has told them about the circumstances or about herself, the The New York Times reports.
They believe there are inconsistencies over claims she made in her application for asylum, the newspaper says.
The maid, an immigrant from the West African state of Guinea, told the authorities that Mr Strauss-Kahn accosted her after she entered his room in New York's Sofitel hotel to clean it.
The defence team had been expected to argue that a sexual encounter occurred, but that it was consensual.
Mr Strauss-Kahn was seen as a leading candidate to be the next centre-left French presidential candidate until news of the accusations broke.
Former Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin described the latest developments as "a thunderbolt". "He was thrown to the wolves," Mr Jospin said, in veiled criticism of the US justice system.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-13986970
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