It may be a case of travelling from the frying pan to the fire for Strauss-Kahn. Fresh from having rape charges against him in New York dropped by prosecutors, Strauss-Kahn returned to Paris to face French prosecutors investigating a rape charge dating back to 2003. In this case the accuser is writer Tristane Banon, 32, who alleges Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her while she was interviewing him eight years ago. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers claim that he requested Monday’s meeting to clear up what the French media call “DSK affaire II”. He would have been required to give an under-oath testimony as to his side of Banon’s story.
A preliminary investigation into the incident is already underway, but it is not yet known whether French prosecutors have reached a decision about how to proceed. If they decide there is sufficient evidence for a rape trial, they need to appoint a magistrate to investigate it. A frustrating alternative outcome for Banon would be if they decide there is evidence for a sexual assault, but not rape. In that event, the case will have to be dropped because under French law such a charge has to be pursued within three years of the incident taking place.
What is beyond doubt, however, is how Banon feels about Strauss-Kahn. On Sunday, she complained via text message to French news organisations that she was nauseated by his triumphal return, saying she was ashamed of the fact that France “welcomes as a hero a man who hasn’t been cleared”. DM
Read more:
- Strauss-Kahn Questioned on Accusations of 2003 Sexual Assault, in The New York Times.
Photo: REUTERS