The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn,62, has been arrested and taken from the first-class cabin of a Paris-bound Air France flight at JFK airport. Strauss-Kahn has been charged with criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment of a hotel maid 32 years old.
The ex financial minister under the socialist government of Lionel Jospen, and a possible candidate for next president elections of France, spent last night at the Sofitel New York on West 44th Street staying in a $ 3,000 (£1850) suite. New York police spokesman Paul Browne declared: “the girl told detectives he came out of the bathroom naked, ran down a hallway to the foyer where she was, pulled her into a bedroom and began to sexually assault her, according to her account. She pulled away from him and he dragged her down a hallway into the bathroom where he engaged in a criminal sexual act, according to her account to detectives.
He tried to lock her into the hotel room.” On Twitter page of Jonathan Pinet, a french guy , Ump (Sarkozy’s party) supporter, has announced the news of the arrest two hours ahead the New York Times. He wrote: “A friend of mine that lives in USA has just told me that the police has just arrested Dominique Strauss-Kahn. According to New York state law, a criminal sexual act includes forcibly compelling someone to engage in oral sex. The potential sentence for criminal sexual act and attempted rape charges carry a potential sentence of 15 to 20 years each whereas unlawful imprisonment carries a potencial sentence of three to five years.
The French government consider that IMF chief is innocent until proven guilty but the alligations of his arrest will cause a double effects. The first one is about French politics. Dominique Strauss-Khan was the Socialist favourite to beat Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s president election. The second and most important effect will regard the euro value. Strauss Khan was flying in Europe for a meeting with Angela Merkel scheduled for today and with European financial ministers on Monday and Tuesday. The subject of discussion should have as main point European debt crisis and specifically the Greek rescue and Portugal bailout asking to the IMF respectively € 60 billion and € 78 billion. The IMF leader should represent a central rule during next day for the European economy. Strauss-Kahn took over as head of the IMF in November 2007.
The 187-nation lending agency is headquartered in Washington and provides help in the form of emergency loans for countries facing severe financial problems. Today Caroline Atkinson, Director of External Relations at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declared “The IMF remains fully functioning and operational” and John Limsky will take the place of Strauss-kahn immediately but Limsky had before announced his leaving from the IMF in august. Economists and financial experts are waiting tomorrow to analyze the reactions of the stock markets.
Read more about IMF :INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) HISTORY