Ex-IMF chief pleads not guilty to sex crimes
NEW YORK—In a bid to clear his name, fallen International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Monday pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid.
Arriving in court with wife Anne Sinclair on his arm and his defense team, a grave-faced Strauss-Kahn was met with shouts of “shame on you” by around 100 women dressed as hotel maids protesting outside.
The chants were so loud they could be heard through the 13th floor of the Manhattan criminal courthouse where he entered his formal plea before Judge Michael Obus. The next court hearing was set for July 18.
Strauss-Kahn, 62, was one of the most influential people in the global economy and widely considered to be a leading contender for the French presidency until his shocking arrest three weeks ago on an Air France plane that was about to depart New York for Paris.
He pleaded not guilty to all seven counts, including attempted rape, in what prosecutors say was a brutal assault on a 32-year-old immigrant from Africa who was sent to clean his luxury suite at Manhattan’s Sofitel on May 14.
Strauss-Kahn, who swapped his fine suits for prison garb before he was granted bail a week after his arrest, said through his high-profile lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, that he intended to fight hard.
There were expectations that defense lawyers would use the occasion to demand quick access to evidence collected by police in their forensic examination of the hotel room, the maid and Strauss-Kahn himself.
Brafman indicated in a letter filed in court that he was unhappy with media leaks airing the evidence, which claims to show that the French politician’s semen was found on the maid’s shirt.
In the US pretrial process known as “discovery,” parties are obliged to answer questions about their opponent’s evidence collection. Prosecutors have told Brafman that he will be given the materials, but in the proper time.
‘A chance to win”
In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Brafman told France’s M6 television show “66 Minutes” that his client would be acquitted.
“We have a chance to win in this case because I don’t think Mr. Strauss-Kahn is guilty of the charges. I believe he’s going to be exonerated,” he said, reiterating his earlier predictions.
“It is a sincere statement and a good-faith belief in the outcome,” said the defense lawyer, who earlier hinted at a possible argument that a sexual encounter did take place, but that it was consensual.
High degree of privacy
Strauss-Kahn spent Sunday hidden away in his rented deluxe townhouse in Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood, while journalists gathered outside.
The house arrest has given Strauss-Kahn a high degree of privacy as he huddles with Brafman, who has represented a number of high-profile stars including Michael Jackson.
Strauss-Kahn’s arrest and his resignation as managing director of the IMF threw the global lender and economic policy powerhouse into disarray just as it was grappling with debt crises in the European Union.
Many in France believe that the Socialist Party stalwart has been mistreated, but the case has also stirred unusually vigorous debate in the country over taboo subjects such as sexual harassment.
Costly defense
Strauss-Kahn, who is married to an art heiress and famous former French television journalist, is spending vast sums on his defense.
For his temporary liberty, he posted a total of $6 million in cash bail and bond last month.
The bill for his home detention costs some $200,000 a month, while the rent for the TriBeCa townhouse is estimated at $50,000 a month.
In addition to a high-powered defense team, Strauss-Kahn is employing private investigators believed to be digging into the personal life of the hotel maid, who immigrated from Guinea.
Prosecution team
The prosecution is also led by two legal eagles—Joan Illuzzi-Orbon and Ann Prunty. Orbon heads the Manhattan district attorney’s hate crimes unit.
Prosecutors have said their evidence against Strauss-Kahn was strong.
“The proof against him is substantial. It is continuing to grow every day,” Assistant District Attorney John “Artie” McConnell said in court on May 19.
On May 16, however, Brafman told a judge that the defense believed any forensic evidence “will not be consistent with a forcible encounter.”
Defense lawyers have also hinted they had information that would seriously hurt the credibility of the hotel maid who has said that Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her and forced her to perform oral sex.
The case has been intensely followed around the world, spawning news reports even about food deliveries to Strauss-Kahn’s townhouse. Reports from AP and AFP
