Police say Strauss-Kahn was expected to appear before a New York state court yesterday to face three charges, including attempted rape but his lawyer said he will plead ‘not guilty’ to the charges, saying he denies the claims.
Strauss-Kahn, a 62-year-old married father of four children, was taken off an Air France plane at JFK airport just minutes before it left for Paris. Strauss-Kahn appeared to have fled the hotel after the incident, the police spokesman said.
MAID’S ACCOUNT
A 32-year-old chamber-maid filed a sexual assault complaint after the IMF chief fled the $3,000-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel in Times Square where the alleged incident occurred around 1 pm on Saturday, May 14, according to New York Police.
Browne told Reuters: “She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account.
“She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room.”
In New York, police spokesman Browne said: “The NYPD realized he had fled, he had left his cell phone behind. We learned he was on an Air France plane. They held the plane and he was taken off and is now being held in police custody for questioning.”
The woman, who has not been named, was treated in hospital for minor injuries, Browne said, adding that Strauss-Kahn does not have diplomatic immunity.
According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act carries a potential sentence of 15-20 years, the same as attempted rape. Unlawful imprisonment carries a potential sentence of three to five years.
The former French finance minister is also considered a possible Socialist candidate for the presidency. Mr. Strauss-Kahn has been riding high in the polls and was seen as having a genuine chance of beating President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Martine Aubry, leader of France’s Socialist Party, described news of his arrest as a “thunderbolt” which left her “astounded.”
He had been scheduled to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, but that meeting has now been cancelled, reports say.
In a brief statement, an IMF spokeswoman acknowledged Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s arrest and said the organization remains fully “functioning and operational.”
‘LOCKED IN’
Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s arrest unfolded in dramatic fashion as he was poised to fly to Europe.
A spokesman for New York’s Port Authority said they detained Mr. Strauss-Kahn at JFK airport at the request of the New York Police Department (NYPD).
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Mr. Strauss-Kahn had been charged with a criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment relating to an incident involving a 32-year-old woman.
Mr. Browne said the allegations had been made by a 32-year-old woman who worked at the hotel, which has been identified as the Sofitel, near Times Square.
“We received a call that a chambermaid in a hotel in midtown Manhattan had been sexually assaulted by the occupant of a luxury suite at that hotel, and that that individual had fled,” Mr. Browne told the BBC.
“The maid described being forcibly attacked, locked in the room and sexually assaulted,” he said.
Speaking to Reuters, Mr. Browne gave more details on the allegations against Mr. Strauss-Kahn.
“She told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the suite foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account.”
“She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives. He tried to lock her into the hotel room.”
Mr. Strauss-Kahn then made his way to the airport but left his mobile phone and other items behind, Mr. Brown said. “It looked like he got out of there in a hurry.”
By the time police established that the occupant of the room was Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the IMF chief was on board an Air France plane at John F Kennedy airport, about to depart for Paris.
“Our detectives requested of the airport authorities that they stop the plane from leaving, went to the airport and took him into custody,” Mr. Browne said.
“If our officers had been there 10 minutes later, he would have been in the air and on the way to France.”
‘ERROR OF JUDGEMENT’
Mr. Strauss-Kahn ran for leadership of the French Socialist Party in 2006 but lost to Segolene Royale. He was appointed managing director of the IMF the following year.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn has won praise for his stewardship of the IMF, which he has guided through difficult times including the recent world financial crisis.
But in 2008, he was investigated by police and the IMF board over his relationship with a female member of his staff. The board ruled his actions “reflected a serious error of judgment” but that the relationship had been consensual. He apologised to IMF staff and his wife, French TV personality Anne Sinclair.
The arrest caused shock and disbelief in France, where a government spokesman called for caution and respect for the presumption of innocence.
“The news we received from New York last night struck like a thunderbolt,” said Socialist leader Martine Aubry, appealing for party unity.
Francois Bayrou, a centrist opponent of Strauss-Kahn, said: “All this is completely astounding, immensely troubling and distressing. If the facts prove true … it’s something degrading for all women. It’s terrible for the image of France.”
Strauss-Kahn took over the IMF in November 2007 for a five-year term scheduled to end next year. Before that, he was a French finance minister, member of the French National Assembly and a professor of economics.
Go here to read the rest: