Strauss-Kahn denied bail in IMF sex scandal case

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been denied bail when arraigned on sexual assault charges. He allegedly tried to rape a maid in his hotel room, and was detained and booked before he left on a flight to France. He is being held at Riker’s Island for the moment.

International financier sitting in Riker’s Island

The International Monetary Fund head was brought into a New York City courtroom on Monday, May 16 and arraigned on charges of sexual attack and false imprisonment, states the Guardian. This will be one of the highest profile sex scandals in years to come out. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested on Saturday for sexual attack and false imprisonment after he was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid at Sofitel, the Times Square hotel he had been staying at. Officers detained him as he was boarding a plane for France, according to Reuters, and he appeared before a judge on Monday. The attorneys that were prosecuting said he would be a flight risk. They said that if he had gone to France, the country would not have extradited him. He is at the Riker’s Island Correctional Facility right now after being denied bail.

Jail won’t stop International Monetary Fund from operating

The imprisonment of the IMF hasn’t changed it much. The Los Angeles Times reports that it is still running. A meeting in Brussels was occurring while Kahn was in arraignment to discuss the IMF and European Union working together to do a joint bailout package for the Portugal debt crisis. The Greece debt crisis is still ongoing, and more aid to the struggling country was also slated to be topic for discussion. The headline “the chambermaid blocks Greece!” was shown in an Athens newspaper while the austerity measures in the country that were forced already have been bad for Strauss-Kahn. During all of this, Strauss-Kahn is stuck in The Tombs holding cells waiting for his next hearing. He is near the Riker’s Island Courthouse.

Response to scandal

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a prominent figure in the Socialist party in his native France and had been anticipated to challenge current president Nikolas Sarkozy in the coming elections. It is possible that Francois Hollande or Marine Aubry will replace him. His job at the International Monetary Fund is up for grabs, according to the Telegraph, and there are numerous people waiting in the wings to replace him. The previous English pm Gordon Brown is said to covet the job, but it is said that current P.M. David Cameron will not endorse him. Axel Weber as a former finance minister of Germany is a possibility for the job. Christine Lagarde is also in the running as the current France finance minister.

Information from

The Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk/finance/dominique-strauss-kahn/8517119/Christine-Lagarde-and-Axel-Weber-front-runners-for-Dominique-Strauss-Kahns-IMF-role.html

Los Angeles Times

latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/05/ron-paul-imf-dominique-strauss-kahn.html

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/16/us-strausskahn-arrest-idUSTRE74D29F20110516

Los Angeles Times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-euro-talks-20110517,0,2339845.story

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/17/dominique-strauss-kahn-court-appearance

The Guardian

guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/15/strauss-kahn-arrest-hits-french-elections