A New York criminal court judge denied bail to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, after he was charged with attempting to rape a housekeeper at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan.Read the rest here.
Strauss-Kahn, also charged with a criminal sex act and unlawful imprisonment, made his first courtroom appearance after being pulled off a Paris-bound plane minutes before takeoff Saturday afternoon. Prosecutors had planned to bring him before a judge Sunday before deciding to delay a day so they could search him for physical evidence.
Authorities allege that Strauss-Kahn, 62, attempted to rape a housekeeper at the Sofitel in Midtown Manhattan, where he was staying; police said she later picked him out of a lineup. He planned to plead not guilty, according to his attorney, Benjamin Brafman, who has defended a number of high-profile clients.
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1 comment:
It's interesting reading the French take on this and the reader comments in Le Monde - a significant amount of conspiracy theorizing is going on, with the usual amount of 'puritanical american' comments. If DSK is found guilty, there will be very many on the other side of the pond who refuse to accept the reality, and many of those that do will refuse to accept that one of their princes could be brought to justice by a chamber maid, regardless of his behavior.
Nonetheless, we should not prejudge and should let the facts come out. It is fairly common for French politicians to be involved in fairly elaborate machinations and dirty tricks (for a recent example, google 'Sarkozy' 'de Villepin' and 'Clearstream'), and after Crystal Magnum and the Duke Lacrosse player case, one shouldn't rule out the possibility that the accuser has issues. Although DSK apparently also has a history of problems controlling himself, as other women are now coming forward. It's rather unlikely, but I wouldn't rule out that he was set up, given that he was not only the head of the IMF but also the front running Socialist candidate, and potentially in a position to knock Nicolas Sarkozy out of the first round of the presidential elections that will take place next year. Many French politicians are trying very hard now to not show their glee at DSKs misfortune. The general French public is largely in shock.
It's too bad the financial princes who are doing metaphorically to the American public what DSK may have done physically to the maid are being protected here, just as the French press and judicial system would have protected DSK had this occurred in France.
- Steve
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