Investigation dropped

French prosecutors have dropped their investigation against former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn for attempted rape, arguing that the evidence would support sexual assault charges, but that the statute of limitations had already passed.

French writer Tristane Banon had accused Strauss-Kahn of luring her into an empty apartment and trying to rape her during an interview for a book she was writing. Strauss-Kahn has admitted to trying to kiss Banon, but said that he stopped when she refused his advance.

"Even if a prosecution for attempted rape could not be launched for lack of sufficient proof, facts that could be qualified as sexual assault were admitted," the Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement on Thursday.

Under French law, however, sexual assault allegations cannot be prosecuted if the complaint is filed three years after the alleged incident. The encounter between Banon and Strauss-Kahn occurred in 2003, making the case invalid under the statute of limitations.

"He will have to be satisfied with being an unconvicted sex attacker, protected by the statute of limitation from criminal charges, but not from legitimate suspicion about his behavior towards women," David Koubbi, Banon's lawyer, said.

'Cleared'

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, however, have said that the collapse of the investigation clears their client of any wrongdoing.

"When someone is the subject of a complaint and this complaint is shelved without charge, that means there's no ground for prosecution," Frederique Beaulieu said. "That's called being cleared."

Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign as the head of the IMF in May after being arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, in New York. City prosecutors dropped their case due to inconsistencies in Diallo's testimony.

Diallo subsequently filed a civil suit against Strauss-Kahn. One of her lawyers, Douglas Wigdor, said the prosecutors in France were swayed by the decision of the prosecutors in New York.

"We have supported and believe that Ms. Banon was sexually assaulted by Mr. Strauss-Kahn and are pleased that the prosecutors in Paris, as has been reported, have found evidence supporting a sexual assault," Wigdor said.

The incident in New York also torpedoed Strauss-Kahn's ambitions of running as the Socialist candidate against French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential elections.

Author: Spencer Kimball (AP, AFP)
Editor: Mark Hallam