DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN yesterday came face-to-face with the French woman who accuses him of having attempted to rape her eight years ago.
The confrontation was arranged by Paris police to help them decide whether to pursue the case against the former head of the International Monetary Fund. Mr Strauss-Kahn and writer Tristane Banon spent two hours at the meeting, held at a police station, where they were jointly questioned in the absence of their legal teams. Neither spoke to reporters afterwards, but Mr Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer said he maintained his version of events.
Ms Banon (32) has alleged the 62-year-old former finance minister assaulted her in a Paris apartment in 2003 as she was interviewing him for a book. She described him wrestling with her “like a rutting chimpanzee”, forcing her to kick and shout before escaping.
She first made the allegations in a television chat show in 2007, when Mr Strauss-Kahn’s name was bleeped out, but lodged a formal complaint this year after the politician’s arrest on separate sexual assault charges in the US.
Mr Strauss-Kahn calls the claims imaginary and slanderous. He reportedly acknowledges having made an advance, but insists he did not act aggressively.
An arranged confrontation such as yesterday’s is not uncommon in French investigations where two versions of an incident are at odds. Ms Banon said last week she wanted the face-to-face meeting so Mr Strauss-Kahn could “look me in the eye and tell me my version of events is imaginary”.
Police have now interviewed about 20 people over the claims, including the frontrunner for the Socialist Party’s presidential nomination, François Hollande.
In the coming days police are expected to send a report to the Paris prosecutor advising what course of action to pursue. They could decide there is no case to answer or deem that charges of sexual assault are appropriate, in which event the statute of limitation would see the case dropped.
A third option is for a full investigation to take place under the direction of an investigating judge.
Mr Strauss-Kahn returned home to France this month and described as a “moral error” his sexual encounter with a New York hotel maid that led to his arrest and a three-month legal battle. The American charges were dropped because of doubts about the maid’s credibility. However, Mr Strauss-Kahn’s efforts to turn the page have been hampered by the accusations from Ms Banon.
Even if police decide not to pursue the investigation, Ms Banon has said she will take a civil case.