Back home: Strauss-Kahn arrives in French capital (AP)

PARIS – Dominique Strauss-Kahn returned home to a mixed welcome in France on Sunday, for the first time since attempted rape accusations by a New York hotel maid unleashed an international scandal that dashed his chances for the French presidency.

New York prosecutors later dropped their case against Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, because of questions about the maid's credibility.

But the affair cost Strauss-Kahn his job at the helm of the IMF and exposed his personal life to worldwide scrutiny that has stained his image and left the French divided over what he should do next. His high-profile return home Sunday reflects how large he looms here.

Smiling and waving silently, he stepped off an Air France flight Sunday at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport a different man from the one who, just four months ago, had been the pollsters' favorite to beat President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year's presidential elections.

Few expect Strauss-Kahn to return to French politics soon, but his supporters have been eagerly awaiting his return after three months of legal drama in the U.S. that they saw as unfairly hostile to him.

"I'm moved, I always believed in his innocence. I wanted very much for this to be over," Michele Sabban, a fellow Socialist Party member, said on i-Tele television.

Residents of Sarcelles, a working class Paris suburb where Strauss-Kahn is mayor, were largely enthusiastic and empathetic about his return.

"I'm happy for him. It's the end of an ordeal. Now ... we should leave him alone a little bit," resident Laurent Giaoui told The Associated Press.

A prominent member of Sarkozy's conservative UMP party, Xavier Bertrand, shrugged off Strauss-Kahn's appearance in Paris. "Like many French people, I have lots of others worries in my head," he said on Europe-1 radio. "I have a hard time imagining" Strauss-Kahn back in politics, he said.

Strauss-Kahn flew in to Paris from New York's JFK Airport early Sunday and gave a brief wave upon leaving the arrivals hall. Pushing a luggage cart, he did not speak to the large crowd.

His wife, respected former TV personality Anne Sinclair, was at his side, beaming widely. Riot police protected him and the area. The two then drove to one of their homes, on Paris' tony Place des Vosges. The crush of reporters was so thick that Strauss-Kahn had trouble reaching and opening his front door.

The last time he tried to take an Air France flight out of JFK, Strauss-Kahn was pulled out of first class minutes before takeoff by police. They were investigating the maid's claim that hours earlier, Strauss-Kahn had forced her to perform oral sex and tried to rape her.

He quit his job, spent almost a week in jail, then six weeks of house arrest and nearly two more months barred from leaving the country before Manhattan prosecutors dropped the case last month, saying they no longer trusted the maid, Guinean immigrant Nafissatou Diallo.

Diallo is continuing to press her claims in a lawsuit. Strauss-Kahn denies the allegations.

Strauss-Kahn faces another investigation in France based on accusations by French novelist Tristane Banon, who says he tried to rape her during an interview in 2003. He calls the claim "imaginary."

Banon's mother, Anne Mansouret, told the AP that Strauss-Kahn's return "is a good thing for my daughter's complaint because he will have to answer to police."

Banon says she didn't file a complaint after the incident because her mother, a regional Socialist official, urged her not to.

Mansouret, who now says she regrets that decision, called it "profoundly indecent" that Strauss-Kahn's homecoming Sunday was like that of a "star."

The AP does not name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified or come forward publicly, as Diallo and Banon have done.

Strauss-Kahn, known in France by his initials DSK, is also dubbed a "great seducer" by French commentators for his reputation for sexual adventures.

That reputation — and France's overall attitude toward keeping politicians' private lives private — came under scrutiny after Strauss-Kahn's arrest. Many called for more openness about questionable private behavior that might reflect on a politician's public life.

The Socialist Party is now in a fierce campaign for primaries next month to choose its candidate for April and May presidential elections. The front-runners, while relieved that the New York case was dropped, do not appear keen for Strauss-Kahn to make a comeback.

Strauss-Kahn, an eloquent economist and former finance minister, still has many fans in France, and there remains a small chance he could play a role in the presidential campaign. Strauss-Kahn himself has remained silent about his political plans.

In welcoming Strauss-Kahn back Sunday, many French people expressed concern for his wife — who was more famous in France than her husband before they married 20 years ago — and what she's been through in recent months.

One supporter belted out an ode to Strauss-Kahn in a performance at the Paris airport Sunday morning, accompanied by a Verdi opera played on a portable stereo, before police officers asked him to stop.

"Dominique! Dominique!," shouted Gregoire Vandevelde, who said he was a former student of Strauss-Kahn's at a prestigious economic institute. "He is extremely brilliant, full of humor and very competent, warm with his students," Vandevelde said.

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Angela Charlton in Paris, Catherine Gaschka in Sarcelles, and Ted Shaffrey and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

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Strauss-Kahn returns home (Reuters)

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Strauss-Kahn accuser to file civil suit "soon" (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A lawyer for the hotel maid who accused former International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her in a New York hotel said on Thursday he planned to file a civil lawsuit soon.

Kenneth Thompson, the lawyer for Nafissatou Diallo, did not specify to reporters at a press conference exactly when a civil lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn would be filed.

"I said soon. Soon is soon," he told reporters.

Diallo made an emotional public appeal at a highly unusual press conference for people to believe her story. The criminal case has teetered for weeks since prosecutors disclosed they had uncovered several discrepancies in Diallo's account of her past.

Diallo told reporters she cannot stop crying and that she wants no other woman to suffer like her, first at the hands of a powerful attacker and then by having her story questioned.

"I am going through a lot. My daughter, we are going through a lot. We are crying everyday. We can't sleep," an emotional and tearful Diallo said.

"A lot of things they say about me are not true," the woman, called "Nafi" by her friends, said.

The 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn faces criminal charges including attempted rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse.

Strauss-Kahn, who was expected to be a contender to be the next French president, denies the charges and contends any sex that afternoon with Diallo was consensual.

His lawyers have labeled the Diallo's effort to speak out as a last-ditch effort by her and her lawyers to extract money from the former IMF chief.

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Going public: Strauss-Kahn accuser tries rare path (AP)

NEW YORK – The hotel housekeeper accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulting her is telling her story publicly, she says, because she wants the former International Monetary Fund leader behind bars. But it's hard to say whether her striking move will help or hobble her goal.

Nafissatou Diallo's decision to speak out in media interviews is an unusual and risky move for an accuser at this point in a criminal case, legal experts said.

It gives her an empowering chance to tell her side of the story as prosecutors weigh whether to press ahead with the case amid their concerns about her credibility. But it also enshrines a version of events that defense lawyers could mine for discrepancies with her grand jury testimony or use as fodder to argue she was seeking money or public attention.

Whatever the outcome, "it's an extraordinary turn of events, I would say, for her to go on a kind of lobbying, public relations campaign to get this case tried," said Pace Law School professor and former prosecutor Bennett L. Gershman.

After staying silent for nearly two months about an alleged attack that Strauss-Kahn vehemently denies, Diallo gave her account to Newsweek and ABC News.

Adding details and her own voice to the basics authorities have given, Diallo said the former IMF leader grabbed and attacked her "like a crazy man" in his $3,000-a-night Manhattan hotel suite on May 14 as she implored him to stop and feared for her job.

"I push him. I get up. I wanted to scare him. I said, `Look, there is my supervisor right there,'" she told Newsweek in an interview in her lawyer's office. But Strauss-Kahn said no one was there to hear, she said, and he went on to yank up her uniform dress, tear down her pantyhose, forcefully grab her crotch and then grip her head and force her to perform oral sex.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers on Monday called the interviews "a desperate distraction from the key fact that Ms. Diallo has had to admit to misleading" prosecutors.

The interviews come with the case against Strauss-Kahn in limbo after Manhattan prosecutors raised doubts about the housekeeper's overall credibility. They said on July 1 that she had lied about her life story and gave inconsistent descriptions about what she did right after the alleged attack.

The disclosures prompted her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, to criticize the district attorney, press prosecutors to keep going with the case and even call for a special prosecutor to take over.

Diallo told her interviewers she wants Strauss-Kahn held accountable, and she was going public to tell a story she said had never wavered, to counter misleading portrayals of her and to address doubts about her trustworthiness.

"I want him to go to jail. I want him to know there are some places you cannot use your power, you cannot use your money," she told Newsweek.

Diallo told ABC she didn't know Strauss-Kahn was a high-profile French politician until later.

"I was watching the news and they said he's going to be the next president of France," she said. "I said, `Oh, my God.' I was crying. `They're going to kill me. I'm going to die.'"

Before Sunday, the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant's name had been reported by some French media outlets but not by major U.S. media, which generally protect the identities of people who say they've been sexually assaulted.

"I never want to be in public, but I have no choice," she said, according to ABC News. "God is my witness I'm telling the truth."

But against the backdrop of uncertainty about her believability and motives, the interviews may raise as many questions as they answer, legal observers said.

"On the one hand, there's an upside that perhaps it will encourage the prosecutors to move forward with their case. On the other hand, there's the risk that whatever she says can be used against her in a civil or criminal case, especially with respect to any inconsistencies," said Sanford Rubenstein, a New York lawyer who has represented victims in noted cases — and advised them not to give interviews while the case was ongoing, he said. His clients have included Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant who was tortured in a New York City police station bathroom in 1997.

Prosecutors generally discourage potential witnesses in criminal cases from speaking outside court while a case is pending, partly to avoid creating multiple accounts that could diverge, even slightly. In a trial, such gaps can become thin edges of a wedge for adversaries to drive doubts about an accuser's veracity into jurors' minds.

"The more that's out there, the more you're susceptible on cross-examination," said Elizabeth Crotty, a defense lawyer and former Manhattan assistant district attorney.

The housekeeper's interviews also could provide an avenue for Strauss-Kahn's lawyers to suggest she was out for publicity or cash, a notion that already has shadowed the case. A day after Strauss-Kahn's arrest, she was recorded alluding to his wealth on a phone call with an incarcerated friend, a law enforcement official has said.

Newsweek said she had not ruled out trying to make some money from her situation, a suggestion that a civil lawsuit could be forthcoming, though she told the magazine, "I don't think about money."

The interviews nonetheless could tempt prosecutors to bow out rather than go forward with the case because "she's already trying it in the court of public opinion," Gershman said.

The DA's office has said its investigation, not external factors, will determine the outcome. Communications chief Erin Duggan said Sunday the investigation was continuing and declined to discuss the case further.

In the interviews, Diallo addresses some of the inconsistencies that already have rocked the case.

She testified to a grand jury that after the alleged attack, she cowered in a hallway and watched Strauss-Kahn leave, then told a supervisor. Prosecutors said earlier this month that she later told them she actually had gone on cleaning rooms before consulting her boss. Diallo told Newsweek she was disoriented and went into the rooms briefly before a supervisor appeared and asked why she was upset, but the maid denied changing her account.

Diallo also lied about her background, including by telling prosecutors an emotional story of being gang-raped in her homeland, they said. She told Newsweek she was raped by two soldiers but acknowledged she had embellished her life story on her 2003 asylum application; prosecutors have said she told them she repeated the lies to them to be consistent.

Strauss-Kahn lawyers Benjamin Brafman and William W. Taylor III rapped Diallo for conducting what they portrayed as a media campaign to pressure prosecutors to pursue Strauss-Kahn as she perhaps plans to sue him. They have said whatever happened in the suite wasn't forced, and they are pressing for the case to be dismissed.

"Nothing can camouflage the lies and misstatements that Ms. Diallo has consistently put forward against an innocent person to law enforcement, friends, medical professionals and members of the media," they said in a statement Monday.

Thompson fired off a statement of his own Sunday, saying Strauss-Kahn's lawyers "have conducted an unprecedented smear campaign against the victim of a violent sexual attack."

The American Bar Association's professional conduct rules tell lawyers not to make public statements out of court that are likely to prejudice the case. But the rules don't apply to their clients and in a heavily covered case like Strauss-Kahn's, it's questionable how much any lawyer's remark "will affect the jury when there's so much publicity already out there," said Ellen Yaroshevsky, a legal ethicist at Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

___

Jennifer Peltz can be reached at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz

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Civil suit against Strauss-Kahn still seen viable (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The question has floated in the background for nearly two months, ever since police arrested Dominique Strauss-Kahn on charges of sexually assaulting a New York hotel maid: Would his accuser pursue a civil suit against him?

The answer has changed little since serious doubts about the woman's credibility put in jeopardy the criminal case against the former International Monetary Fund chief.

A successful civil case could bring a multimillion-dollar judgment against Strauss-Kahn, if a jury finds his accuser's story persuasive.

Civil litigators say the accuser would still have viable civil claims against Strauss-Kahn even if criminal charges against him are dismissed. But any judgment against him would prove difficult to enforce if the prosecution ends and he returns home to France.

"A civil case could certainly still succeed on the merits," said Meg Garvin, the executive director of the National Crime Victim Law Institute at Lewis & Clark University Law School in Oregon.

Civil lawsuits do proceed after criminal prosecutions fail. The former American football player O.J. Simpson, charged with killing his ex-wife and her friend, was acquitted in 1995 but later found liable in a wrongful-death civil suit brought by the victims' families and ordered to pay more than $30 million in damages.

In 2004, prosecutors dropped rape charges against Kobe Bryant, the basketball star, when his accuser refused to testify, but she filed a lawsuit against him and settled the case out of court for an unspecified amount.

The lawyers for the accuser in the Strauss-Kahn case have said they are not considering a lawsuit and did not respond to requests for comment.

BURDEN OF PROOF

Criminal and civil trials have significantly different burdens of proof required to prevail.

In a criminal case, where a guilty verdict can result in imprisonment, prosecutors must prove the defendant's guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the law's strictest standard.

In civil cases, where the loser is liable for money damages, the standard is a "preponderance of the evidence" -- essentially, that it was more likely than not that the defendant was responsible.

This distinction can be particularly appealing to a witness who, like Strauss-Kahn's accuser, has credibility problems.

Prosecutors revealed she had told authorities numerous lies, including fabricating a story about being gang-raped in Guinea in order to gain U.S. asylum. She also changed details of her story about what happened after her encounter with Strauss-Kahn in his luxury hotel suite, though her account about what took place in the room has remained steadfast.

"There's nothing from what I've heard about the alleged problems with the case that would make me immediately shy away," said John Clune, the lawyer who represented the accuser in the Bryant case.

Unlike in a criminal case, where a jury may not draw any conclusions from a defendant's decision not to testify, civil defendants typically must give their side during depositions and at trial. There is no Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, and if a defendant refuses to answer, the jury is permitted to make inferences from that refusal.

In Strauss-Kahn's case, a civil suit could shift the focus from her credibility to his own record of honesty, given reports about his past infidelities.

"This is exactly why civil defendants settle all the time," said Julie Suk, a professor at Cardozo School of Law. "They may not think there's a winnable case against them, but it's often much more costly, both in terms of lawyer fees and personal, psychic cost."

Given Strauss-Kahn's wealth, his accuser still risks being perceived as having financial motives in going after him.

According to the woman's lawyers, prosecutors said they turned up a recorded conversation between her and a man detained in an Arizona jail in which she said "words to the effect" that "this guy has a lot of money. I know what I am doing."

RETURN TO FRANCE

If criminal charges are dropped and Strauss-Kahn heads home to France, collecting damages from him might prove difficult.

While the United States and France do not have an extradition treaty, which would prevent Strauss-Kahn from being forcibly returned here for a criminal trial, the two countries have treaties that would probably ensure that he could be served with a civil complaint and a subpoena to testify, international law experts say.

If Strauss-Kahn chose not to appear, a New York court could enter a judgment against him. But collecting damages would likely require the cooperation of a French court.

Paul Cohen, an attorney who specializes in international law for Thompson & Knight in New York, called the chances of extracting money from Strauss-Kahn if he is back in France "extraordinarily low."

"It has nothing at all to do with the merits -- it's all to do with the geography and the jurisdictional issues that come with it," he said. "The French courts may not appreciate a civil complaint like this that is in effect a proxy for criminal prosecution."

(Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Paris prosecutor to look into new Strauss-Kahn case (Reuters)

PARIS/NEWYORK (Reuters) – The Paris prosecutor's office said on Friday it has opened a preliminary inquiry into a complaint filed by French writer Tristane Banon alleging an attempted rape by former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The case throws up a new headache for the Frenchman, who is in New York fighting sex assault charges that brought his career at the IMF crashing to an end and have likely killed his chances of running for French president next year.

Strauss-Kahn is expected to counter claim against Banon -- a routine procedure in such a case in France. His lawyers declined to comment on Friday.

Banon, 32, filed her complaint earlier this week over an incident she alleges occurred in 2003 when she went to interview the former French finance minister in an otherwise empty Paris apartment when she was in her early twenties.

Her lawyer David Koubbi said on Thursday there was "physical" evidence to back up the case, although he declined to say if that included text messages or recordings.

Strauss-Kahn had been the favorite to unseat conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy by running for the Socialist Party in France's 2012 election until his arrest in New York in May threw his political future into question.

That case appeared to weaken last week when prosecutors said they had doubts about the credibility of the hotel chambermaid who has alleged Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her when she went in to clean his room.

A court released Strauss-Kahn from house arrest and signs that the case may be unraveling raised the prospect that he could return to France in the months ahead and take a role supporting the left's election campaign.

Yet a person close to the case told Reuters U.S. prosecutors have no current plans to drop the charges and want at least two or three more weeks to investigate Strauss-Kahn, 62, and his 32-year-old accuser. The source also said that no plea deal was sought in a meeting this week with Strauss-Kahn's lawyers.

FRANCE IN DISARRAY

Strauss-Kahn's arrest in New York sent shockwaves around the world and threw the French left into turmoil as it scrambled to come up with a Plan B strategy for winning the presidency after three terms in opposition.

The scandal has also set off a wave of soul-searching in France, where the media has kept quiet for years about a culture of flirting and extramarital affairs in political circles that critics say risks letting sexual predators go unnoticed.

Banon is a journalist and author of three books, including a novel that gives a fictionalized account of the alleged incident with Strauss-Kahn. She also gave a graphic account of the alleged assault in a televised talk show in 2007 with his name bleeped out, but had never taken legal action until this week.

Attempted rape carries a penalty of up to 15 years in France.

For Banon's case to stand up, it would need evidence of attempted rape rather than just sexual assault, given that in France attempted rape charges can be brought as long as 10 years after the event but assault charges expire after three years.

While Strauss-Kahn's allies have rallied round him from the day of his arrest, French voters no longer see him as presidential material -- even if many have decried the way he was paraded in front of U.S. cameras unshaven and handcuffed.

An opinion poll carried out in the wake of Banon's complaint this week found two thirds of respondents did not want Strauss-Kahn to be a candidate in the 2012 election and an even larger share did not believe he would now run.

In New York, a person familiar with Wednesday's talks between defense and prosecution lawyers told Reuters that while Strauss-Kahn and his team feel the "tide has turned" in their favor, his lawyers are not assuming the case is over.

The source said there was increasing suspicion on Strauss-Kahn's side that his accuser targeted him for some kind of scheme because his picture had been posted by hotel management to notify staff that a VIP was on the premises.

While investigating her story and background, prosecutors reportedly turned up a recorded conversation between the maid and a male friend detained in an Arizona jail in which she allegedly indicated that she knew what she was doing and that Strauss-Kahn was someone with a lot of money.

The maid has alleged that Strauss-Kahn forced himself on her violently as she entered his luxury suite to clean it, but her credibility was thrown into question when prosecutors said they believed she had told authorities numerous lies.

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball in New York; writing by Catherine Bremer; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

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U.S. news media debate naming Strauss-Kahn accuser (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – By now, anyone following the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case knows plenty about the woman who accused him: her age, origins, work history, relatives and, most recently, a series of lies and misstatements she gave to investigators.

But one detail has remained concealed by major U.S. media: her name.

Citing the unique stigma of rape, American news outlets have for decades refused to identify victims and alleged victims of sexual assault, even as they investigate their backgrounds.

As recent revelations raise doubts about the credibility of Strauss-Kahn's accuser, and the attempted rape case against the former International Monetary Fund chief appears close to collapse, news organizations have begun to revisit these long-held policies.

"It's an ethical minefield," said Adam Penenberg, a journalism professor at New York University. "It puts everybody in an impossible position."

The woman's name has already been published by numerous news outlets in Europe and Africa, where accusers' names are more routinely reported.

An Internet search will reveal it is on hundreds of websites. Some journalism experts say that renders the convention of anonymity increasingly meaningless.

No major U.S. news organization has yet revealed the woman's name, even as her credibility has been seriously questioned.

"Editors here have discussed the situation as new developments have emerged in this case," said Phil Corbett, the New York Times' associate managing editor for standards.

"As of now, the authorities continue to consider the woman to be the victim in an alleged sexual assault, and we have stuck to our normal practice of not identifying her."

Editors at Reuters debated the issue and decided the woman should remain unidentified, said Jim Gaines, the global head of ethics, standards and innovation.

"It was very brief, because we all know what the rule is," Gaines said. "It's hard to anticipate the circumstances under which we would name her, unless she named herself."

WHEN SHOULD POLICY CHANGE?

Are there circumstances that would justify dropping the policy and identifying the woman?

Several editors said a dismissal of the charges against Strauss-Kahn would probably be insufficient to convince them to use his accuser's name, unless, for example, authorities seek to charge her with perjury for suspicion of lying under oath.

"I would distinguish between charges being dropped and charges being brought against her," said Roger Smith, the national editor for the Los Angeles Times.

Corbett said there is no "clear, bright line" that would indicate when to use her name.

Journalists are not legally bound to conceal the identities of sexual assault victims -- the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that news outlets may use them if legally obtained. But with rare exceptions, the media have refrained from doing that.

One exception was NBC News' decision in 1991 to identify the woman who accused a Kennedy family member, William Kennedy Smith, of raping her. That sparked a national conversation about privacy and the media's responsibility to rape victims.

The prevailing view, then as now, is that sexual assault is uniquely damaging and worthy of an exception.

"The reality is that as journalists, we have a special responsibility to help ensure that women feel safe reporting sexual assault. It's not like other crimes," said Bruce Shapiro, head of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University in New York.

FEAR OF SACRIFICING PRIVACY

Some experts say there is also a societal obligation to encourage victims to come forward without fear of sacrificing their privacy.

"What about the next woman, and the one after that?" said Alisa Solomon, a journalism professor at Columbia.

A handful of journalists assert the practice of withholding victims' names runs counter to journalism's goal of providing a complete and truthful account.

One dissenter is Geneva Overholser, who as editor of the Des Moines Register won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for public service for a series about a woman's ordeal as a rape victim.

"We're setting ourselves up to do something that feels very much like social work, not journalism, and that's not our role," said Overholser, now the director of the School of Journalism at the University of Southern California.

To Overholser, the debate in the Strauss-Kahn case only underscores the problem with concealing the name in the first place. By splashing his name and photo across front pages while withholding hers, she said, there is an implicit judgment that one side is wrong and the other is right.

"If anything, it helps continue the stigma," she said. "We're signaling to rape victims that they have to go and sit in a dark corner."

(Reporting by Joseph Ax, editing by Jesse Wegman and Grant McCool)

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Accuser seeks special prosecutor for Strauss-Kahn (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Lawyers representing the woman who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault have asked the leading New York prosecutor to withdraw from the case and appoint a special prosecutor.

In a letter to District Attorney Cyrus Vance, the lawyers accused a prosecutor in Vance's office of leaking damaging information about Strauss-Kahn's accuser.

A spokeswoman for Vance had no immediate comment.

"District Attorney Vance, we ask in earnest that your office voluntarily recuse itself from the Strauss-Kahn case and that you appoint a special prosecutor," Kenneth Thompson, the lawyer for the 32-year-old hotel maid from Guinea, wrote in a letter dated Wednesday.

Recusals are rare and this one was not likely to succeed, legal experts said.

Reuters obtained a copy of the letter after defense lawyers for Strauss-Kahn met with prosecutors from Vance's office for nearly two hours on Wednesday as the case against him appeared in serious jeopardy.

Both sides declined to give any details of the meeting. The New York Times had reported they would discuss whether the charges could be resolved by a dismissal or plea agreement.

The case was thrown into jeopardy last week when prosecutors discovered the accuser had lied about being gang-raped in her home country in her application for U.S. asylum and changed details of her story about what she did after her encounter with Strauss-Kahn in a luxury suite.

Thompson has said the woman had made mistakes in the past but insisted she was sexually assaulted by Strauss-Kahn, and that evidence existed to prove it.

'DAMAGING LEAKS'

Thompson accused Vance's chief assistant, Daniel Alonso, of planting "damaging leaks" in the media that undermined his client's character and the charges against Strauss-Kahn.

He faulted prosecutors for never handing over to him an audio recording of a telephone call his client made to her boyfriend in an Arizona prison while leaking a description of part of the call to The New York Times.

Thompson referred to a specific quote in which an unnamed law enforcement official spoke to the Times about that phone conversation.

"She says words to the effect of, 'Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I am doing,'" the Times reported.

Thompson said Alonso used "virtually the same words" in relating the call to him hours before it appeared in the Times.

The letter also complained about the office refusing to fully deny a story by the New York Post that his client may be a prostitute. Thompson filed a libel suit against the Post about that.

"Such apparent leaks by members of your office is, without question, an abrogation of the duties and responsibilities of a prosecutor," the letter said.

The letter also complained about one of the prosecutors having "screamed at and disrespected the victim while she met with them."

Law experts say the request was unlikely to succeed.

"It's a silly request," said Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman, who said he believes Thompson's letter has more to do with public relations than with a legitimate demand. "It makes for a nice sound bite."

Recusals are rare and usually occur when there is a personal stake in the outcome for members of the prosecutor's office.

"Recusals are unusual, but not unprecedented," said Paul Shechtman, a defense lawyer and former prosecutor. "This isn't the occasion for one."

Shechtman said allegations of leaks to the media, even if true, are probably not enough to result in a recusal.

"Whatever you think about leaks, if they were grounds for recusal, we would have a great number of recusal motions," he said.

Benjamin Brafman, Strauss-Kahn's defense lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Writing by Daniel Trotta, Additional reporting Joseph Ax and Christine Kearney; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Strauss-Kahn faces new hurdle at home as U.S. woes ease (Reuters)

PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Dominique Strauss-Kahn was hit with a fresh complaint of attempted rape in France on Tuesday, a new hurdle to any political comeback, even though U.S. sex assault charges against him may be lifted this month.

The New York Post cited an unnamed senior investigator as saying prosecutors would drop their charges at a court hearing in two weeks, or even earlier, due to doubts about the credibility of the alleged victim.

In Paris, however, French writer Tristane Banon filed a legal complaint alleging Strauss-Kahn tried to assault her in 2003, when she was 22, her lawyer David Koubbi told Reuters.

Banon, an author and journalist, gave a graphic account in a 2007 TV talk show of her allegation Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her during an interview in a Paris apartment. Tuesday was the first time she has taken legal action.

Her complaint will be examined by a judge who, as a matter of course, would question both Banon and Strauss-Kahn, sending investigators to the United States if necessary, before deciding to either place the Frenchman under investigation or dismiss the case.

In yet another twist to a saga that has captivated much of the world, the hotel maid who accused Strauss-Kahn in May of trying to rape her sued the New York Post and four of its journalists on Tuesday for reporting that she was a prostitute.

Signs that the U.S. charges are unraveling have set off a round of political sparring that threatens to poison the run-up to an April 2012 presidential election that Strauss-Kahn had been tipped to win for the left.

French left-wingers, furious their star candidate has been all but knocked out of the election race, dismissed the Banon complaint as more evidence that Strauss-Kahn's foes are determined to bring him down.

"Strauss-Kahn's destiny has been snatched from him. All his friends are asking how it is possible that a man who is director of the IMF and a presidential candidate finds himself in prison a few days before he submits his candidacy," said Socialist deputy Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, a close ally of Strauss-Kahn.

"This is clearly a conspiracy against the Socialist Party," he told LCI television.

Asked about Banon's allegation, her televised account of which had Strauss-Kahn's name bleeped out, Cambadelis said: "This is manipulation by a young woman who wants to extort funds from Dominique through a rape complaint."

Koubbi told French M6 television that talk of a plot against Strauss-Kahn was "nonsense."

Strauss-Kahn plans to bring a counter-claim against Banon, his lawyer said on Monday, a routine response in France when a legal complaint is filed against a party who denies misconduct.

STRAUSS-KAHN FUTURE UNCLEAR

The Banon case may fizzle out after a preliminary inquiry, unless the judge deems there is tangible evidence of an attempted sexual assault. Given the years that have lapsed since the alleged incident, there could be little aside witnesses' conflicting statements to hold up a court case.

Regardless of the outcome, opinion polls since the weekend suggest that more than half of French voters think Strauss-Kahn's political career is already over.

Francois Hollande, the left's new election frontrunner, was dragged into the imbroglio on Tuesday, when he was asked during a trip to the French Caribbean island of Martinique to respond to Banon's allegation that he had known about the 2003 incident and encouraged her at the time to press charges.

"I really want to put a stop to this controversy, rumours and gossip," Hollande told reporters in Fort-de-France. "This is all becoming quite unbearable."

A judge released Strauss-Kahn from house arrest on Friday, although charges of attempted rape remained in place, after prosecutors said the hotel maid changed details of her story.

"We all know this case is not sustainable," The New York Post quoted its source as saying on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office in New York would not confirm that prosecutors plan to drop the charges, saying they were still investigating the case.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Guinean immigrant filed a suit in a court in the Bronx, accusing the Post of publishing defamatory articles between July 2-4. The Post was unavailable for comment.

Strauss-Kahn's abrupt reversals of fortune have angered many French, who viewed his parading before cameras, unshaven and handcuffed, in New York as a gross violation of his rights.

The Socialist Party, struggling to find a candidate who can match Strauss-Kahn's know-how and experience, has said it is very unlikely he could make a late bid for the October party primary, but it would not close the door if he did so.

"Strauss-Kahn today is not a man who is hungry for power," Cambadelis said. "He is in a period of healing, rehabilitation, rebuilding, he's a man who's been hurt."

(Additional reporting by Anthony Boadle in Washington and Dominique Bareto in Fort-de-France; Writing by Catherine Bremer; Editing by Louise Ireland)

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Writer files assault charge against Strauss-Kahn (AP)

By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN and PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD, Associated Press Michael Weissenstein And Pierre-antoine Souchard, Associated Press – 15?mins?ago

PARIS – A young French author formally accused former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape and broke her long public silence Tuesday with a dramatic account of fending off an attacker who ripped at her clothes as they fought on his apartment floor.

Tristane Banon's criminal complaint was already spawning an ugly public battle that appeared to be dividing France and follows trans-Atlantic mudslinging over the Guinean chambermaid who accused Strauss-Kahn of forcing her to perform oral sex in his New York hotel room.

The sudden weakening of the maid's case because of New York prosecutors' doubts about her credibility revived hopes in Strauss-Kahn's Socialist Party that he could return to France and retake his position as the strongest potential challenger to conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 election.

Those hopes could be undermined by the 31-year-old writer's legal action, which is expected to set off a lengthy preliminary investigation by prosecutors into whether there is enough evidence to pursue a case in France.

While many here saw Strauss-Kahn, 62, as a victim of rough U.S. justice, the French public may recoil at a drawn-out case in French courts brought by a woman whose mother is a Socialist Party official. Polls already have found French voters evenly divided over whether they want Strauss-Kahn to return, with women more likely to object to his reviving a political career.

A poll of 860 people conducted over the weekend by the magazine Nouvel Observateur found that 54 percent didn't want Strauss-Kahn to run in the Socialist Party primary, and 63 percent didn't believe that he would end up running.

"He grabbed my hand, then my arm, I told him to let me go and that's when the fight started. He pulled me towards him, we fell down and fought on the ground for a few minutes," Banon told news magazine L'Express.

She said she started kicking him with her boots, then finally broke free, ran down the stairs and called her mother from her car.

"I couldn't even drive I was trembling so much," she said. The Associated Press does not name alleged victims of sexual crimes unless, like Banon, they choose to publicly identify themselves.

Strauss-Kahn allies took to the airwaves Tuesday to try to undermine Banon and question the timing of her complaint about an incident that she says took place in 2003, when she was trying to interview Strauss-Kahn for a book project. Banon first recounted the incident on a 2007 TV show in which Strauss-Kahn's name was edited out.

Her lawyer began discussing the possibility of bringing charges after Strauss-Kahn's May 14 arrest, but Banon still said very little.

"Tristane Banon has been telling her story for months and years. She's filing her complaint today," Socialist lawmaker Jean-Marie Le Guen told reporters. "In that, I see a certain opportunism that I associate with this mudslinging, these disinformation campaigns against Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the moment when American justice is about to acknowledge his innocence."

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers on Monday labeled Banon's account "imaginary" and said they would file a criminal complaint of slander against her.

Banon told French news magazine L'Express that she was tired of hearing "lies and rumors" told about the incident.

"I can't take it anymore hearing that I must be lying because I haven't filed suit," Banon said.

Strauss-Kahn is free on bail in New York, charged with attempted rape and other crimes. In a further twist to the saga, his New York accuser filed a libel suit Tuesday against the New York Post after it called her a prostitute.

Banon said she had waited eight years before filing her complaint because "it's very difficult for any woman in this situation ... and it's even more difficult when you know in advance that it's doomed to failure."

Banon says she described some of the attack in an "autobiographical novel" she published in 2006 called "The Trapeze Artist."

"I left out some sordid details, about his fingers in my mouth, his hands in my underwear after he ripped off my jeans and my bra," Banon said.

Lawyer David Koubbi said Banon had been dissuaded from filing charges after the incident by her mother, Anne Mansouret, a regional councilor in Strauss-Kahn's Socialist Party. Mansouret now says she regrets urging her daughter not to file a complaint but she feared that taking action against such a powerful figure would affect her daughter's career.

Mansouret told the French radio station RTL that her daughter "considers the only way to end this is in fact to file a complaint, to say that at least justice can be done."

"She's a young woman who's matured," Mansouret told RTL. "She took this decision, I suppose, after maturely reflecting."

Mansouret said she thought that by filing the complaint, it would help her daughter "rebuild herself."

"She tried to move ahead without doing that, and it wasn't possible. She arrived at a level of suffering. It's suffering to be permanently harassed by people who criticize how you've acted," Mansouret said.

If Banon's complaint leads to preliminary charges, there will then be a lengthier investigation, sometimes lasting years, to determine if the case should go to trial before a judge.

The same process would apply to the slander complaint against Banon.

A slander charge can be brought against anyone who French prosecutors believe deliberately filed a false complaint with authorities. In Banon's case, an investigation would begin only if her attempted rape complaint is found to be false. A slander charge carries a maximum term of five years in a prison and a 45,000-euro ($65,000) fine.

French prosecutors could decide not to pursue the case against Strauss-Kahn if they find evidence he engaged in forcible sexual contact that fell short of attempted rape. The statute of limitations on sexual assault charges in France is three years, while attempted rape charges can be filed for up to 10 years after the alleged crime.

Strauss-Kahn has relinquished his passport to New York authorities. His next court appearance is July 18.

___

Cecile Brisson and Greg Keller contributed.

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More questions raised about Strauss-Kahn accuser (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Scrutiny of the accuser in the sexual assault case against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn intensified on Saturday after more revelations about her conduct following the purported May 14 attack.

A judge released Strauss-Kahn from house arrest and lifted strict bail conditions on Friday after prosecutors discovered a pattern of lying in the accuser's background, although serious charges including sexual assault and attempted rape remain in place against the man once seen a top French presidential contender.

A new report says the 32-year-old woman, a hotel maid, spoke of the possibility of financial gain from the incident.

In a phone conversation with her boyfriend, who was held in an Arizona jail on suspicion of possessing 400 pounds (180 kg) of marijuana, she said there was money to be made from Strauss-Kahn, a law-enforcement source familiar with the investigation told Reuters on Saturday.

The call was recorded and the woman told her boyfriend she was fine and not to worry about her, the source said.

The New York Times quoted a well-placed law enforcement official as saying: "She says words to the effect of, 'Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing.'"

On Friday, prosecutors said the accuser lied about being gang-raped in Guinea as part of an application for U.S. asylum and changed details of her story about what she did after the incident in Straus-Kahn's luxury hotel suite.

As the woman's stature falls, that of Strauss-Kahn has rebounded. Some in France are talking about a political comeback, although perhaps not to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.

Strauss-Kahn's whereabouts on Saturday were unknown. He left his Manhattan townhouse and got into a black sedan, followed by a flock of photographers in vehicles and on motorbikes. His car then pulled into a garage with restricted access and he disappeared, thwarting attempts to follow him further.

Revelations about the accuser have left prosecutors struggling to make a case with a central witness whose credibility would be targeted by Strauss-Kahn's defense lawyers.

Investigators once trumpeted the woman as a devout Muslim who immediately reported that Strauss-Kahn, a steward of the world economy from the French elite, sprang naked from the bathroom and forced her to perform oral sex.

Her lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, came to her defense on Friday, portraying her as a frightened, illiterate woman who remained a victim, her body badly bruised in the encounter.

"The victim here may have made some mistakes but that doesn't mean she's not a rape victim," Thompson said.

(Additional reporting by Allison Joyce in New York and Leila Abboud in Paris; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Bill Trott)

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New York DA suffers new setback with Strauss-Kahn (AP)

NEW YORK – It was a sensational caseload that would put any prosecutor's office on the map — or on the spot.

There was a prominent French politician accused of sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper; two police officers charged with the on-duty rape of a young woman; and two men caught in an alleged scheme to blow up city synagogues.

But what began as a promising, headline-grabbing summer for the Manhattan district attorney's office has been clouded by a dizzying series of setbacks inside the courthouse.

The latest setback came Friday, when prosecutors conceded the accuser in the attempted rape case against former IMF leader and potential French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn had credibility problems. The issues were serious enough that they agreed to allow a judge to lift his bail and free him from house arrest.

District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. — six weeks after he was put in the international spotlight by announcing charges against Strauss-Kahn — kept things brief when he again faced cameras outside the courthouse to deliver a prepared statement about the unfortunate turn his biggest case yet.

"As prosecutors, our duty is to do whatever is right, in every case, without fear or favor, wherever that leads," he said. "The disclosures we made that led to today's proceeding reflect that principle."

Vance refused to take questions. By contrast, the accuser's attorney, Ken Thompson, went back and forth with reporters for 20 minutes, at one point questioning Vance's resolve.

The district attorney "is too afraid to try this case," Thompson said. "We believe that he's afraid that he's going to lose this high-profile case."

That fear, he suggested, stemmed from the stunning acquittal late last month of two police officers on charges that one had raped a drunken fashion-house staffer they had escorted home.

Jurors reached the not-guilty verdict despite dramatic testimony by the woman and security videotape showing the officers repeatedly entering and leaving her apartment building over the course of the night. They instead convicted the officers of misdemeanor official misconduct for returning to the building without telling dispatchers where they were.

Two weeks later, the district attorney's office informed the court that, after failing to get a grand jury indictment, it was dropping the most serious charge against two defendants in a different case that had been brought with fanfare under a rarely used state terror conspiracy statute.

Police alleged the men wanted to strike a synagogue to avenge mistreatment of Muslims around the world. Federal authorities raised eyebrows by passing on the case, and the top charge was eventually dropped. The men still face lesser terrorism and hate crime charges that still could net them up to 32 years behind bars if they are convicted. But the defense has used the development to try to portray the case as trumped-up and politically motivated.

There was more bad news last week in another closely watched case — that of construction supervisors charged in the deaths of two firefighters in a high-rise blaze in 2007 near ground zero. A jury acquitted two of the defendants after their attorneys argued prosecutors made them scapegoats for the removal of a standpipe that would have provided water to fight the fire.

Meanwhile, there has been some upheaval within the office as well as in the courtroom. The chief of the sex crimes unit, Lisa Friel, told insiders this week she would leave the post she has held for nine years to seek a private-sector job — curious timing amid the high-profile Strauss-Kahn case.

She didn't immediately return a telephone message Friday, and the district attorney's office has declined to discuss her departure.

Both the fire and the police officers' rape cases were launched before Vance arrived in 2010, and the terrorism and Strauss-Kahn cases have marked the biggest yet initiated on his watch.

Any misfortune probably has more to do with the risks in tackling tough cases than failings in legal tactics or internal turmoil, said Matthew Galluzzo, a criminal defense lawyer who worked in the sex crimes unit for three years until 2008.

"To say they've made mistakes is probably too simplistic," Galluzzo said. "It's more like they've had some bad luck and some bad publicity."

The office of the DA — vaunted for its high profile in the nation's largest city and portrayed with liberal embellishments in television shows like "Law & Order" — says it is undaunted by the recent spate of troubles.

"A prosecutor's job is to seek the truth. This office's reputation was built on its commitment to doing justice in every case, wherever that leads. We will never be afraid to try tough cases," spokeswoman Erin Duggan said Friday, noting that the office had just won a murder conviction of a man who slashed his girlfriend to death in August 2007 after a troubled relationship.

And not all the news has been bad for the DA's office this year. Prosecutors won a murder conviction in the killing of a motivational speaker, a case that drew attention because the defendant said he'd helped the man commit suicide.

A former art gallery director was convicted of scheming to defraud four artists' estates by selling their works without telling them, in a case that brought actor Robert De Niro to the witness stand; his painter father's estate was among the victims.

More than two dozen taxi drivers have pleaded guilty after a broad probe into a fare-boosting scam that affected thousands of tourists and residents who rode in the city's signature yellow cabs. A high-end hotel housekeeping manager who pleaded guilty to killing and trying to rape a woman in her room was sentenced last month to 23 years to life in prison.

In the end, it's not always about winning and losing, Galluzzo said.

"What's career-making for a DA is doing the right thing," he said. "And he should take credit for that."

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

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Prosecutors detail flaws in Strauss-Kahn accuser's account (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The woman who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault admitted she lied to a grand jury about what happened after the purported attack, prosecutors told Strauss-Kahn's lawyers in a letter.

The inconsistencies in her story led investigators to lose faith in her credibility as a witness, a dramatic turnabout in the case against a man who once had been seen as a top contender for the French presidency.

The accuser initially told prosecutors and the grand jury she fled to the hallway after the incident and waited for Strauss-Kahn to leave, and informed a supervisor of what happened shortly after, prosecutors said.

"The complainant (accuser) has since admitted that this account was false and that after the incident in Suite 2806, she proceeded to clean a nearby room and then returned to Suite 2806 and began to clean that suite before she reported the incident to her supervisor," the letter said.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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Strauss-Kahn freed from house arrest (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – A US judge released Dominique Strauss-Kahn on his "own recognizance" Friday, but prosecutors who consented to the easing of bail restrictions did not agree to dismiss the sexual assault case against the former IMF chief.

The French politician was in a New York courtroom for a brief but extraordinary hearing that came in the wake of reports that prosecutors had grave doubts about the credibility Strauss-Kahn's accuser, and while sources suggested to US media that the case had serious problems, the judge stressed that the "case is not over."

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Strauss-Kahn free from house arrest; charges stand (AP)

By JENNIFER PELTZ and TOM HAYS, Associated Press Jennifer Peltz And Tom Hays, Associated Press – 2?mins?ago

NEW YORK – Former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn walked out of court without bail and free from house arrest Friday after prosecutors said an extensive background investigation of the hotel housekeeper accusing him of sexual assault gave them pause.

Strauss-Kahn had been confined for weeks to a ritzy Manhattan loft on $6 million in cash and bond. The charges, which include attempted rape, have not been reduced, but the changes signal that prosecutors do not believe the accusations are as ironclad as they once seemed.

The 32-year-old hotel maid accused Strauss-Kahn of chasing her through his luxury suite in May, trying to pull down her pantyhose and forcing her to perform oral sex. Authorities have said they have forensic evidence of a sexual encounter, but defense lawyers have said it wasn't forced.

"It is a great relief," said Strauss-Kahn's attorney, William Taylor, adding that the case underscores "how easy it is for people to be charged with serious crimes and for there to be a rush to judgment."

"It is so important in this country that people, especially the media, refrain from judgment until the facts are all in," he said.

The stark turn in the case came after the woman admitted to prosecutors she had made up a story of being gang raped and beaten in her homeland to enhance her application for political asylum, prosecutors said in a letter to defense lawyers.

She also misrepresented what she did after the alleged attack — instead of fleeing to a hallway and waiting for a supervisor, she went to clean another room and then returned to clean Strauss-Kahn's suite before telling her supervisor that she had been attacked, prosecutors said.

She also misrepresented her income and claimed someone else's child as her own dependent on tax returns, they said.

The details speak to the maid's credibility and whether her story would stand up under oath in a prosecution that would rely heavily on her testimony.

The woman's attorney, Ken Thompson, fired back outside court, saying the district attorney's office was backing away from the case because it was too scared to prosecute it. He said she would come out in public to tell her story but didn't specify when.

Thompson said the woman went to the district attorney with information that her asylum application was flawed, but that she exaggerated on it because she was scared she would be sent back to Guinea. He said she came to the U.S. because she was a victim of female genital mutilation, and she worried her daughter, now 15, would be victimized as well. He also said she had been raped by soldiers there, but that attack did not occur as it was written in her asylum application.

Thompson did not back down on the seriousness of the charges, delivering intimate and specific details from her perspective on a violent attack, saying Strauss-Kahn bruised her vagina, tore a ligament in her shoulder and ripped her stockings.

"When she was fighting to get away, when she was on her knees and he was sexually assaulting her, after he finished, she got up and started to run to the door and started spitting Dominique Strauss-Kahn's semen out of her mouth in disgust all over that hotel room," he said.

Investigators have said they found traces of his semen on her uniform.

"From day one she has described a violent sexual assault that Dominique Strauss-Kahn committed against her," Thompson said. "She has described that sexual assault many times, to prosecutors and to me, and she has never once changed a single thing about that encounter."

Thompson also referred to media reports that his client was involved with a drug dealer, calling them lies.

The New York Times, quoting law enforcement officials it didn't name, reported that the woman was recorded on the phone with an incarcerated man around the day she made the allegations, discussing whether to press her case in court.

The newspaper said the man had been arrested on marijuana possession charges and had deposited cash in the woman's bank account.

"It is clear that this woman made some mistakes, but that doesn't mean she's not a rape victim," Thompson said.

Strauss-Kahn arrived at the courthouse Friday morning in a Lexus SUV and strode confidently up the granite steps with his wife, French journalist Anne Sinclair, at his side.

After the hearing, he slowly walked out the building with his arm on her shoulder, smiling at the throng gathered outside.

His passport remained surrendered, and he will not yet be allowed to leave the country. His other attorney, Benjamin Brafman, said Strauss-Kahn would be free to travel within the United States.

Prosecutors offered few details inside court on the turn in the case. Assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said a further investigation caused them to reassess it.

"At the time this case came to the district attorney's office, we were faced with a credible claim of a serious sexual assault," she said, noting the accuser had promptly reported the alleged attack and had a "solid work history."

State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus, in releasing Strauss-Kahn, said there would be no rush to judgment either way.

Illuzzi-Orbon said, "Although it is clear that the strength of the case has been affected by the substantial credibility issues regarding the complainant, we are not moving to dismiss the case at this time."

If the case collapses, it could once again shake up the race for the French presidency. Strauss-Kahn, a prominent Socialist, had been seen as a leading potential challenger to conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year's elections — until the New York allegations embarrassed his party and led to his resignation from the IMF.

"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 in Paris. "What he was accused of has no relation to his personality. It was something that was not credible."

New doubts about Strauss-Kahn's accuser would also revive speculation of a conspiracy against Strauss-Kahn aimed at torpedoing his presidential chances. Within days of his arrest, a poll suggested that a majority of French think Strauss-Kahn, who long had a reputation as a womanizer and was nicknamed "the great seducer," was the victim of a plot.

Socialist Party chief Martine Aubry announced her own presidential bid this week, after having long been expected to throw her weight behind a Strauss-Kahn candidacy. French politician Michele Sabban said Friday that the Socialists should suspend the presidential primary calendar because of the new developments.

In arguing against his release in May, prosecutors cited the violent nature of the alleged offenses and said his wealth and international connections would make it easy for him to flee.

Strauss-Kahn was in New York on a personal trip when the maid made her accusations. Prosecutors have said in court that Strauss-Kahn appeared on surveillance tapes to be in a hurry as he left the hotel, though his lawyers have said he was merely rushing to lunch.

Strauss-Kahn was held without bail for nearly a week after his May arrest. His lawyers ultimately persuaded a judge to release him by agreeing to extensive — and expensive — conditions, including an ankle monitor, surveillance cameras and armed guards. He was allowed to leave for only for court, weekly religious services and visits to doctors and his lawyers.

The security measures were estimated to cost him about $200,000 a month, on top of the $50,000-a-month rent on the town house in trendy TriBeCa.

Under New York law, judges base bail decisions on factors including defendants' characters, financial resources and criminal records, as well as the strength of the case against them — all intended to help gauge how likely they are to flee if released.

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Online:

Prosecutors' letter: http://www.courts.state.ny.us/press/index.shtml

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Strauss-Kahn released without bail, case in doubt (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was released without bail on Friday after a dramatic court hearing where the sexual assault case against him appeared to shift in his favor.

Strauss-Kahn, who smiled as he walked out of court, still faces felony charges of attempted rape and sexually assault over the alleged attack on a hotel maid in New York. His lawyers said they will seek to have the charges dismissed but the judge said prosecutors were continuing to investigate.

The turnabout could upend French politics. Strauss-Kahn, 62, was a strong candidate for the 2012 French presidential election until his May 14 arrest.

At a hearing to seek changes to his bail conditions, prosecutors said the credibility of the woman at the center of the case had been thrown into question.

As a result, the court agreed to let Strauss-Kahn be freed and his bail and bond returned. He agreed to return to court as needed, including for a July 18 hearing.

"I understand that the circumstances of this case have changed substantially and I agree the risk that he would not be here has receded quite a bit. I release Mr. Strauss-Kahn at his own recognizance," Justice Michael Obus told the court.

Strauss-Kahn's arrest forced his resignation from the International Monetary Fund and appeared to end his presidential hopes, weeks before he had planned to declare his candidacy.

His supporters in the French Socialist party voiced delight at the apparent reversal and some said they hoped he might re-enter the 2012 presidential race.

'EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION'

The case has hinged on the accuser, a 32-year-old Guinean immigrant who cleaned the $3,000-a-night suite at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan where Strauss-Kahn was staying.

Prosecutors said at the hearing their change of view on the maid's credibility followed "an extensive investigation" but they gave no details.

The New York Times quoted two well-placed law enforcement officials as saying prosecutors found issues with the accuser's asylum application and possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering.

They also discovered the woman made a phone call to an incarcerated man within a day of her encounter with Strauss-Kahn in which she discussed the possible benefits of pursuing the charges against him, the paper said.

The conversation was recorded. The man was among a number of people who had made multiple cash deposits, totaling around $100,000, into the woman's bank account over the last two years, The New York Times said.

The woman's brother told Reuters in Guinea that she was the victim of a smear campaign.

Her lawyer said after the hearing that his client's story had never wavered and Strauss-Kahn's assertion that she had consensual sex with him was a lie.

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball, Marie Maitre, Catherine Bremer and Geert De Clercq in Paris and Saliou Samb in Guinea; Writing by Paul Taylor and Mark Egan; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and John O'Callaghan)

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