The rape case against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is in serious doubt - and he could be released from house arrest on Friday - as information has been uncovered raising major credibility questions about the maid making the accusations against him, according to reports.
Prosecutors took the highly unusual step on Thursday of asking that Strauss-Kahn?s bail be reduced, The Associated Press reported, and that ? along with the easing of the terms of his strict house arrest ? may happen Friday as both sides in the case head back to court.
Continue ReadingThough forensic tests found clear evidence of a sexual encounter between Strauss-Kahn, 62, and the woman, who is originally from Africa, prosecutors have come to doubt much of what she has told them about her life and her whereabouts in the hours around the alleged crime, law enforcement officials first told The New York Times.
Prosecutors met with Strauss-Kahn?s lawyers on Thursday to share their concerns, and Strauss-Kahn lead defense attorney Benjamin Brafman told the Wall Street Journal that ?there will be serious issues raised by the district attorney?s office and us concerning the credibility of the complaining witness? at Friday?s hearing.
Ultimately, prosecutors could choose to drop the felony charges against Strauss-Kahn, the Times reported, and instead ask that he plead guilty to a misdemeanor. His lawyers, though, are likely to contest even that slap-on-the-wrist option.
Strauss-Kahn could on Friday be released on his own recognizance and freed from house arrest ? signs that the serious charges against him will be dropped.
Prosecutors have developed deep doubts about the woman?s credibility in the month and a half since the alleged sexual assault as they?ve questioned her and investigated her past.
They believe the woman, who emigrated from Guinea, lied on her application for asylum in the United States, with a claim that she had been raped. When first asked about the claim by prosecutors she told the story ?in a believable way,? a source told NBC News, but when asked about it again, she admitted that ?she lied to them ? and on the application about the whole rape claim.?
They?ve also found disturbing ties linking her to people involved in drug dealing and money laundering. Within a day of the alleged assault, she had a phone conversation ? which was recorded ? with a prisoner and discussed the possible benefits of pursuing charges against Strauss-Kahn. The man had been arrested on charges of possessing 400 pounds of marijuana and is one of a number of people who have made cash deposits totaling $100,000 into the woman?s bank account in the last few years.
The woman still insists that she was assaulted by Strauss-Kahn and her lawyer told the AP that she is prepared to testify despite a ?smear campaign? against her.
Before the allegations emerged, Strauss-Kahn was a leading candidate for the French presidency. He resigned his post at the IMF within days of when the claims were initially made and the fund chose French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as its new leader earlier this week.
Even if the charges against Strauss-Kahn were eventually dropped, ?this doesn?t change anything? in the leadership of the IMF, a fund official told the Times. ?It?s unusual, but he has resigned. She?s the new managing director, the staff are waiting for her. She has a full plate and she?s ready to hit the ground running.?
Supporters see the questions about the woman?s credibility as a potential sign of vindication for Strauss-Kahn.
?Those who know Dominique Strauss-Kahn will not be surprised by this evolution of events,? one of his French lawyers, Leon Lef Forster, told the AP. ?What he was accused of has no relation to his personality. It was something that was not credible.?
When the charges against Strauss-Kahn first emerged, some in France insisted that the accusations were a set-up orchestrated by his political opponents in hopes of knocking him out of the presidential race.
With the woman?s claims now being questioned, some in Strauss-Kahn?s Socialist party were anxious Friday to suggest that his hopes of a presidential campaign could be revived, though one senior member of the party begged caution.
?What if we all embrace him again and then he turns out to be guilty after all? We have to wait for a clear and definite outcome before making any decisions,? the party member told the Times on the condition of anonymity. ?Our voters have lost trust not just in him but the party. We have to be careful.?
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