Charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn likely to be dropped, says source
(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Prosecutors are likely to drop the sexual assault case that spurred Dominique Strauss-Kahn to resign as head of the International Monetary Fund, a person familiar with the case said late Sunday.
Another stunning twist in a case it once called strong, the Manhattan District Attorney's office is expected to tell Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser Monday that it won't pursue a sexual assault case against him. Prosecutors claim they don't have evidence proving a forced sexual encounter took place. Also, Nafissatou Diallo's history of lies and inconsistencies would make it impossible to ask a jury to believe her, the source said.
The likely developments would bring a formal end to the case at Strauss-Kahn's next court date on Tuesday; that's when prosecutors may ask a judge to dismiss the charges and might elaborate on their reasoning.
The case teetered after capturing international attention when Strauss-Kahn, a promising French presidential contender, known in his homeland as "the Great Seducer," was accused of a brutal and contemptuous attack on an African immigrant who came to clean his plush hotel suite. The stakes were high for Strauss-Kahn, who resigned his post as head of the IMF, spent nearly a week behind bars and then spent possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars on house arrest. They were equally as grave for District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., who was handling the biggest case during his 18 months in office.
One of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, Benjamin Brafman, didn't immediately respond to an email message Sunday, after the New York Post first reported prosecutors' likely decision to drop the case. The DA's office has also declined to comment.
The hotel maid's lawyer had predicted prosecutors would tell her Monday they were dropping the case. The attorney, Kenneth Thompson, told France's RTL radio on Sunday that Nafissatou Diallo, "feels abandoned by the Manhattan District Attorney." The questions raised about her credibility have made her feel "that she's being investigated more than Strauss-Kahn," he said.