01 | July | 2011 | Strike of Lightning!

New York prosecutors on Friday will agree to waive bail for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of International Monetary Fund, freeing him from house arrest and returning his $1 million cash and $5 million bond, according to media reports.

Bloomberg Television reported that Strauss-Kahn, who was charged in May with sexually assaulting a hotel maid, will be released on his own recognizance after spending weeks under home confinement and electronic monitoring.

Earlier, the New York Times reported that the case against Strauss-Kahn, is reportedly close to collapse after prosecutors raised concerns about the credibility of his accuser.

: Straus-Kahn

Dominique Strauss-Kahn (center) departs a New York Police Department office after his arrest in May.

On Thursday, the Times said that investigators had concerns about the hotel maid, citing two law-enforcement officials, including one who told the newspaper that the woman had repeatedly lied since making her initial allegation on May 14.

Among the concerns are discoveries that the maid considered financial gain, had questionable relationships with at least one alleged drug dealer and other issues in her past, the reports said.

Strauss-Kahn — once thought to be a front-running candidate for the French presidency — resigned as IMF chief in the wake of the allegations.

Will this man become the next President of France? The Picture is all telling, Money and Power make the world go round!

Strauss-Kahn and the maid, the accuser had repeatedly lied. (hotdogfish.wordpress.com)
Strauss Kahn rape case in doubt – who’s got the most credibility? (noplaceforsheep.com)
Video: Dominique Strauss-Kahn case falling apart? (cbsnews.com)
Report: Case Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn On Verge Of Collapse Over Credibility Of Accuser (newyork.cbslocal.com)

Image via Wikipedia

LIES AND INCONSISTENCIES

The New York Times quoted what it said were two well-placed law enforcement officials as saying that although forensic evidence showed there had been a sexual encounter between the Strauss-Kahn and the maid, the accuser had repeatedly lied. It said prosecutors had discovered issues involving the asylum application of the 32-year-old housekeeper, who is Guinean, and possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering.

The paper added that prosecutors had discovered that the woman had had a phone conversation with 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 conversation was recorded.

It added that the man, who had been arrested on charges of possessing 400 pounds (180 kg) of marijuana, was among a number of individuals who had made multiple cash deposits, totaling around $100,000, into the woman’s bank account over the last two years.

Strauss-Kahn’s defense team had hired Guidepost Solutions, a New York based investigations firm, to work on the case and was also in the process of consulting with TD International, a consulting firm run by former CIA officers and U.S. diplomats.

People familiar with the case said at the time that the consultants and investigators were hired that Strauss-Kahn’s team was likely to look into the background of the alleged victim in the case, and that such inquiries would include an examination of her immigration status.

If the case unravels, it would be a huge blow for Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, the Democratic son of a former Secretary of State.

Prosecutors presented the Strauss-Kahn case before a grand jury, confident in the women’s story that the former IMF chief sprang naked from the bathroom, chased her down and hall and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

After his arrest, Strauss-Kahn was displayed before cameras in a “perp walk” that drew outrage in France. Some commentators suggested that Strauss-Kahn, known as the “great seducer” of French politics, could have been set up by opponents.

After a few nights in New York’s notorious Rikers Island jail, Strauss-Kahn was allowed to post $1 million cash bail and a $5 million bond. He is now under house arrest in a townhouse in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, where he is equipped with an electronic monitoring device and under the 24-hour watch of armed guards. The arrangements cost him $250,000 a month.