IMF chief to face NY court in sex assault case

NEW YORK — IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn makes his first appearance in court on Monday since being accused of trying to rape a hotel maid in a case that sent shockwaves through French politics and left the IMF in turmoil.

A handcuffed and drained Strauss-Kahn, whose hopes of becoming France's next president appear to have been wrecked, was seen in public for the first time since his arrest when he was taken to the booking station at Manhattan Criminal Court on Sunday night.

His lawyers said he would plead not guilty to charges of a criminal sexual act, unlawful imprisonment and attempted rape that could bring a humiliating end to his public career and presidential ambitions.

"Our client willingly consented to a scientific and forensic examination..." said William Taylor, the IMF chief's Washington-based lawyer. "He's tired but he's fine."

Strauss-Kahn, the early favorite in France's presidential race, had his hands cuffed behind his back and a strained look on his face on Sunday as detectives led him to a waiting police sedan in front of a battery of television cameras.

A police spokesman said the 32-year-old chambermaid at the Times Square Sofitel had identified Strauss-Kahn on Sunday from a police lineup that included five other men.

The IMF managing director, who has retained Michael Jackson's former defense lawyer to lead his defense team, submitted to the forensic examination with police looking for scratches or evidence of his alleged assault.

A charismatic figure, Strauss-Kahn led the IMF through the 2007-09 global financial meltdown, pressing for stimulus measures and interest rate cuts to avoid a depression, and has been central in galvanizing Europe to tackle its debt woes.

The euro hovered near a seven-week low against the dollar in Europe on Monday as news of his arrest added uncertainty to aid for Greece and indebted euro zone countries.

Elegant hotel

Strauss-Kahn wore a black overcoat, blue dress shirt and black dress slacks on Sunday, his hair neatly parted, as he was made to walk to a police car in front of the assembled media. He kept his eyes straight ahead, avoiding looking at the cameras.

Police would not say where and when he underwent a physical examination, which investigators requested after the maid said the IMF chief, naked, sprang on her from the bathroom of his hotel suite, chased her down a hall, pulled her into a bedroom and assaulted her.

She told police she broke free but that he dragged her into the bathroom where he forced himself on her again.

Defense lawyers said Strauss-Kahn would plead not guilty when he appears at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday.

Any restrictions that the judge places on his freedom of movement may determine whether he is able to continue his IMF role in the short term.

The woman, who has not been named, was treated in hospital for minor injuries. She has worked at the hotel for three years and the property's manager said she has been a "completely satisfactory" employee in her work and her behavior.

Strauss-Kahn's wife, French television personality Anne Sinclair, jumped to her husband's defense, saying she did not believe the accusations "for a single second," and other supporters in France cautioned against a rush to judgment.

Police say Strauss-Kahn left his $3,000-a-day suite in such a hurry after the alleged assault that he left his mobile phone behind.

After he called the hotel from John F. Kennedy airport asking about his phone, police located him on the first-class section of an Air France flight bound for Paris. He was pulled from the flight minutes before takeoff, taken back into New York City and charged.