Sunday, 15 May 2011

IMF chief charged with sexual assault: Police

NEW YORK: IMF chief and possible French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and charged with an alleged sexual assault, including an attempted rape, on a hotel maid in New York City, police said on Sunday.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a key player in the world's response to the 2007-09 financial meltdown and in Europe's ongoing debt crisis, was removed from an Air France plane minutes before it was to take off for Paris from John F Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, New York police spokesman Paul Browne said.

Browne said Strauss-Kahn was formally arrested at 2:15am (0615 GMT) on Sunday on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment.

A lawyer representing Strauss-Kahn, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters in an email that the International Monetary Fund chief "will plead not guilty." Brafman made no further comment.

A 32-year-old maid filed a sexual assault complaint after fleeing the $3,000-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel in Times Square where the alleged incident occurred around 1pm (1700 GMT) on Saturday, Browne said.

No comments:

Post a Comment