The head of the International Monetary Fund was arrested early Sunday after a Manhattan hotel maid accused him of sexual assault.
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Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken off an Air France plane at New York JFK airport just minutes before it departed for Paris.
Police say the maid has now formally identified him in a line-up. He faces three charges which he pleaded not guilty to.
According to the AP report, Browne said the housekeeper told authorities she entered Strauss-Kahns suite at the luxury Sofitel hotel not far from Manhattans Times Square at about 1 p.m., and that he attacked her. She said she had been told to clean the spacious $3,000-a-night suite, which she had been told was empty, Browne said.
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IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn
The woman said Strauss-Kahn then emerged from the bathroom naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into a bedroom, where he began to sexually assault her. She said she fought him off, but then he dragged her into the bathroom. The woman was able to break free again, escaped the room and told hotel staff what had happened, and they called police, authorities said.
Browne said that when police detectives arrived moments later, Strauss-Kahn had already left the hotel, but forgot about his cellphone, the AP reported. It looked like he got out of there in a hurry, Browne said.
Police discovered that he was at the airport, and they contacted Port Authority officials, who removed Kahn from first class on the Air France flight that was scheduled to depart at 4:40 p.m. and was just about to leave the gate.
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New York Sofitel Hotel, where it occurred
Mr Strauss-Kahn has won praise for his stewardship of the IMF, which he has guided through difficult times including the recent world financial crisis.
But in 2008 he was investigated by the IMF board over his relationship with a female member of his staff.
IMF officials said it will remained “fully functioning and operational.” The institution is a powerful international body that lends money to poor developing nations or nations in crisis.
The IMF chief has been central in galvanizing Europe to tackle its debt woes at a time when European leaders have been divided over supporting huge bailouts for countries such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal.
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News of arrest sent Euro down in market
The news sent euro down in opening Asian trade Monday as markets fretted that talks on Greece’s debt crisis would be thrown into disarray by the arrest of IMF chief, but rebounded laterwards.
Eurozone finance ministers were scheduled to meet later Monday to discuss finalizing an IMF-backed bailout for Portugal and were expected to discuss Greece’s debt position too.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/ … BK20110516
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13402845
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar … b0a3b8.421
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/15 … index.html
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/15/136331028 … lt-charges
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/14/362769 … nique.html