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1 Jul, 2011 14:54

Strauss-Kahn a victim of conspiracy?

Strauss-Kahn a victim of conspiracy?

The French were always doubtful that Dominique Strauss-Kahn forced a New York hotel maid into oral sex, with a poll published back in May attesting that 57 percent of France thought that DSK was a victim of a conspiracy.

Now new evidence is leading US prosecutors to reconsider the case and take sides with the French as the possibility of dismissing charges against DSK becomes highly probable.Two law enforcement authorities have revealed to investigators that they have reason to believe that the Manhattan hotel maid charging DSK has been untruthful with her allegations. Recent evidence coming to light might seriously jeopardize the credibility of her case, with the New York Times going as far as to say the whole proceedings are “near collapse.”While forensic testing has confirmed that a sexual encounter without a doubt occurred between the two, the rest of the accuser’s allegations are now being called into question. Prosecutors initially working against Strauss-Kahn now believe that the couple could have had consensual sex, that she was paid for the encounter or that the whole ordeal was established to extort DSK.Officials have learned that the accuser had a phone conversation within a day of her sexual encounter about the benefits of perusing a case against the ex-IMF kingpin with a man who had previously been arrested for possessing 400 pounds of marijuana. The same man, currently behind bars, had also made multiple cash deposits into the accuser’s bank account, totally around $100,000 over the course of two years in four different states.Investigators are also making claims that the woman lied about claims of a rape in her homeland of Guinea which led her to seek asylum in America, and that, despite pledging she is a devout Muslim, photograph evidence has been unearthed of her drinking alcohol.“Nothing changes one very important fact, namely, that Dominique Strauss-Kahn violently sexually assaulted the victim inside of that hotel room at the Sofitel,” The Times quotes Kenneth P. Thompson, the attorney representing the woman.The woman’s credibility had earlier been called into question when it was learned that she was living in subsidized housing for AIDS patients, despite swearing to investigators that she was not infected. A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity says, “The end is going to be soon – whether it's this week or next week,” reports The Daily Mail. “The case is not sustainable,” he adds.The time is important here, though, as the deadline for declaring candidacy in the French presidential election is in less than two weeks on July 13. With Strauss-Kahn previously considered a strong candidate in the election, the dismissal of charges may open up the race back up to DSK if he wants to turn his focus once again towards becoming the next president of France.Can the mainstream media ruin him? Georgetown University's Chris Chamber says, "oh yes," but this might not be the case. As reality sets in, and the "soap opera" or "reality show," as he calls it, winds down, there is a chance the damage can be undone. In the meanwhile, new IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde begins her term on July 5.

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