Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Political Figure / EconomistBorn: 25 April 1949
Birthplace: Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Best known as: The IMF director who had rape charges dismissed in 2011
Dominque Strauss-Kahn was the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a likely Socialist Party candidate for the presidency of France when he was arrested in May of 2011 and charged with raping a New York hotel maid. Three months later, the charges were dropped. A native of France, Dominique Strauss-Kahn grew up in Morocco, Monaco and Paris. He holds university degrees in law and business, and a doctorate in economics from the University of Paris. He had a successful career in law and international investment before gaining international attention in the 1990s, first as Minister of Industry and International Trade from 1991 to 1993, then as France's Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry from 1997 until his resignation in 1999 (he was caught up in a corruption scandal, but was later cleared). A member of the French National Assembly from 2001 to 2007, he became Managing Director of the IMF in 2007 and was credited with strong stewardship during the economic crises of 2008 onward. Known in the press as "DSK," Strauss-Kahn also gained a reputation as a suave ladies' man. Although married to former TV star and heiress Anne Sinclair, "The Great Seducer" (as some tabloids called him) apologized publicly in 2008 for having a love affair with an IMF subordinate. While visiting New York on 14 May 2011, Strauss-Kahn was arrested at JFK airport on charges of sexually assaulting a maid at the Sofitel Hotel near Times Square. The arrest caused a sensation: besides leading the IMF, Strauss-Kahn was considered a strong candidate to unseat Nicolas Sarkozy for the presidency in 2012. Strauss-Kahn was charged on seven counts, including attempted rape, sexual abuse, and unlawful imprisonment; at first held without bail, he later was released to house arrest in New York City. He resigned his post at the IMF on 18 May 2011. But problems soon developed with the prosecution. The maid, an immigrant from Guinea named Nafissatou Diallo, admitted to lying to prosecutors about aspects of the incident and other parts of her life, although she continued to insist that she had been sexually assaulted by Strauss-Kahn. On 23 August 2011, at the request of prosecutors, the charges against Strauss-Kahn were completely dismissed.
Extra credit : Nafissatou Diallo also sued Dominique Strauss-Kahn in civil court... After Strauss-Kahn was arrested in 2011, a female French journalist, Tristane Banon, came forward to say that he had attempted to rape her in 2003. That investigation continued after the American criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn were dropped.
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