Strauss-Kahn pimping charges remain
2012-12-19 19:29
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Paris - Dominique Strauss-Kahn's legal problems are not
over.
French judges decided on Wednesday not to drop pimping
charges against the former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, according
to his lawyers, who had sought to have the case thrown out. They quickly vowed
to appeal.
Strauss-Kahn, 63, is fresh off a legal settlement reached
in the US last week with Nafissatou Diallo, the New York hotel maid who had
accused him of rape in May 2011.
That accusation torpedoed his once-illustrious political
career, and was followed by other allegations of sex-related wrongdoing.
None has led to a conviction. The only case remaining is
the investigation into Strauss-Kahn's suspected role in a hotel prostitution
ring in the northern French city of Lille.
An appeals court in nearby Douai on Wednesday maintained
preliminary charges filed against Strauss-Kahn in March for "aggravated
procurement in an organized gang" - meaning the probe can continue.
He is one of several defendants in the case, which
allegedly involves prominent city figures and police.
Charges
Strauss-Kahn, a one-time French presidential hopeful,
resigned from his IMF job and saw his international reputation collapse and his
sexual proclivities aired in public after the claims by Diallo.
Strauss-Kahn lawyer Henri Leclerc lashed out on Wednesday
at the investigating judges leading the Lille case.
In a statement, he claimed the charges against
Strauss-Kahn were not specified, that some evidence was hidden from the defence,
that facts were twisted and that the definition of "pimping" was
created with no basis in law.
Outside the Douai courthouse, Frederique Baulieu, another
defense lawyer, told reporters: "We are certain that Dominique
Strauss-Kahn will be cleared of all charges against him."
The case against Strauss-Kahn hinges on whether he knew
he was partying with prostitutes and whose money was used to pay them. His
lawyers have said Strauss-Kahn had attended "libertine" gatherings
but didn't know that some women there were paid.
Prostitution
In France, it is not against the law to pay for sex, but
is against the law to solicit or to run a prostitution business. Two men with
ties to Strauss-Kahn are behind bars in the probe, accused of organizing
parties involving prostitutes.
Prostitutes questioned in the case said they had sex with
Strauss-Kahn during 2010 and 2011 at a luxury hotel in Paris, at a restaurant
in the French capital and also in Washington, where he lived while working for
the Washington-based IMF, judicial officials have said.
Under French law, preliminary charges mean authorities
have reason to believe that a crime was committed but allow more time for
investigation.
New York prosecutors dropped their sex assault case
against Strauss-Kahn in August last year, saying they had doubts about the
hotel maid's trustworthiness. The settlement last week came as part of a civil
case.
The AP generally does not name people who report being
sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, which Diallo did.
A French writer also claimed that Strauss-Kahn tried to
rape her in 2003 but French prosecutors threw out her case because it happened
too long ago.
- SAPA