NEW YORK—A Manhattan judge dismissed all criminal charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Tuesday. The judge’s order will be stayed until a decision from an appellate court is issued regarding the appointment of a special prosecutor to the case.
The order brings an end to a 3-month-old case against the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting Nafissatou Diallo, 33, a Sofitel hotel housekeeper who entered his room to clean it.
Strauss-Kahn was removed from an Air France flight on May 14 and taken into custody in the hours following the incident. Strauss-Kahn spent three days on Rikers Island, and has been under house arrest on a $1 million bail.
“We’re obviously pleased, relieved, and gratified,” said William Taylor, Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer. “It was fair to say that there was a collective rush to judgment not only by law enforcement but also by the media,” he added.
Media flooded the sidewalks, stairs, and the park across the street from the Manhattan Criminal Court Building in Lower Manhattan, where the announcement was made. Photographers and cameramen set up ladders and equipment hours in advance of Strauss-Kahn’s arrival at 11 a.m.
The order brings an end to a 3-month-old case against the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Strauss-Kahn was accused of sexually assaulting Nafissatou Diallo, 33, a Sofitel hotel housekeeper who entered his room to clean it.
Strauss-Kahn was removed from an Air France flight on May 14 and taken into custody in the hours following the incident. Strauss-Kahn spent three days on Rikers Island, and has been under house arrest on a $1 million bail.
“We’re obviously pleased, relieved, and gratified,” said William Taylor, Strauss-Kahn’s lawyer. “It was fair to say that there was a collective rush to judgment not only by law enforcement but also by the media,” he added.
Media flooded the sidewalks, stairs, and the park across the street from the Manhattan Criminal Court Building in Lower Manhattan, where the announcement was made. Photographers and cameramen set up ladders and equipment hours in advance of Strauss-Kahn’s arrival at 11 a.m.
“Today is an extraordinary day,” said Benjamin Brafman, another attorney representing Strauss-Kahn. “It’s an extraordinary event to have the district attorney stand up in a public courtroom and dismiss an indictment concluding that the complaining witness is not worthy of belief. I’ve practiced in this city for 35 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that post-indictment,” he added.
The prosecutors at Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.’s office sent a 25-page recommendation for dismissal to Michael J. Obus, a state Supreme Court judge on Aug. 22. The prosecutors state that the case is based solely on the testimony of the complainant and relies heavily on her credibility as a witness.
“At the time of the indictment, all available evidence satisfied us that the complainant was reliable. But evidence gathered in our post-indictment investigation severely undermined her reliability as a witness in this case,” the letter states.
Prosecutors go on to outline instances in which Diallo was found to be consistently untruthful in relating both minor and major details regarding the time prior, during, and after the incident.
“Cyrus Vance knows full well that there is no credibility issue. How can there be a credibility issue when they use confidential informants every day that have criminal history?” said Michael Greys, a representative from 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, in a press conference following the courtroom session.
Despite DNA evidence showing that intercourse between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo occurred, prosecutors state they cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt the presence of either force or lack of consent in the incident.
The order to dismiss the case is stayed until a decision is made regarding an appeal by Diallo’s lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, to remove the district attorney as the prosecutor for the case. In the unlikely case that the appeal is successful, a special prosecutor will be appointed to the case.
“No one denies, and the district attorney would have to admit this to you, that Ms. Diallo was in that room for a matter of minutes. Do you really believe that she agreed to engage in a consensual sexual act with a man she’s never seen before?” Thompson said. “If Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a plumber from the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn do you really think that the district attorney would be running away from DNA evidence?” he added.
Thompson said that his client will continue pursuing a civil lawsuit for monetary compensation which was started before a decision in the criminal case was made.
The prosecutors at Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.’s office sent a 25-page recommendation for dismissal to Michael J. Obus, a state Supreme Court judge on Aug. 22. The prosecutors state that the case is based solely on the testimony of the complainant and relies heavily on her credibility as a witness.
“At the time of the indictment, all available evidence satisfied us that the complainant was reliable. But evidence gathered in our post-indictment investigation severely undermined her reliability as a witness in this case,” the letter states.
Prosecutors go on to outline instances in which Diallo was found to be consistently untruthful in relating both minor and major details regarding the time prior, during, and after the incident.
“Cyrus Vance knows full well that there is no credibility issue. How can there be a credibility issue when they use confidential informants every day that have criminal history?” said Michael Greys, a representative from 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement, in a press conference following the courtroom session.
Despite DNA evidence showing that intercourse between Strauss-Kahn and Diallo occurred, prosecutors state they cannot prove beyond reasonable doubt the presence of either force or lack of consent in the incident.
The order to dismiss the case is stayed until a decision is made regarding an appeal by Diallo’s lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, to remove the district attorney as the prosecutor for the case. In the unlikely case that the appeal is successful, a special prosecutor will be appointed to the case.
“No one denies, and the district attorney would have to admit this to you, that Ms. Diallo was in that room for a matter of minutes. Do you really believe that she agreed to engage in a consensual sexual act with a man she’s never seen before?” Thompson said. “If Dominique Strauss-Kahn was a plumber from the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn do you really think that the district attorney would be running away from DNA evidence?” he added.
Thompson said that his client will continue pursuing a civil lawsuit for monetary compensation which was started before a decision in the criminal case was made.
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