Dominique Strauss-Kahn to face attempted rape charge by French writer

Tristane Banon’s lawyer says she will file lawsuit centred on alleged behaviour of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2002 interview A French writer who claims she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is to file a lawsuit on Tuesday against him for attempted rape. Tristane Banon’s lawyer said the legal proceedings would centre on the behaviour of the former head of the International Monetary Fund when she went to interview him in 2002. Banon, who was 22 at the time, later spoke about the alleged assault on French television and described Strauss-Kahn, then a leading member of France’s Socialist party, as acting like a “rutting chimpanzee”. Strauss-Kahn’s name was censored out of the broadcast. The alleged incident went largely unreported in France until Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York in May and accused of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a hotel chambermaid. The 62-year-old politician, who had been widely tipped to become the next French president, denied the charges. His passport was confiscated and he was put under virtual house arrest by a US judge. After questions were raised about the credibility of evidence given by the chambermaid, Strauss-Kahn was released without bail on Friday, but his passport was not returned. The apparent collapse of the case against him has led some colleagues to suggest he could make a political comeback in France. David Koubbi, Banon’s lawyer, had previously said she would not make any official complaint in France until the US case had been resolved, as she did not want to be forced to give evidence in the US. Koubbi said Banon would not respond to an appeal by the chambermaid’s lawyer to testify. Although the writer and journalist was said to be deeply disturbed after the alleged attack by Strauss-Kahn in a Paris flat, she was reportedly dissuaded from taking legal action by her mother, Anne Mansouret, who is a local councillor for his Socialist party. Mansouret later admitted she regretted talking her daughter out of making a complaint. “Tristane Banon will file a complaint Tuesday for attempted rape in Paris,” Koubbi said. “These acts are extremely serious. These events were combined with a violence that was absolutely striking for these kinds of situations.” Koubbi would not say whether the timing was affected by developments in New York. Under French law, attempted rape charges can be brought up to 10 years after an alleged attack, whereas sexual assault charges expire after three years. In the television programme, broadcast in 2007, Banon accused Strauss-Kahn of leaping on her, wrenching open her bra and trying to unbutton her jeans. The writer, who was a close friend of Strauss-Kahn’s daughter Camille, said she was forced to fight him off. “It finished badly … very violently … I kicked him,” she said. “When we were fighting, I mentioned the word rape to make him afraid, but it didn’t have any effect. I managed to get out.” Explaining why she had not pressed charges, Banon said “I didn’t want to be known to the end of my days as the girl who had a problem with the politician.” Mansouret told journalists she regretted having dissuaded her daughter from legal action, but had done so because she believed Strauss-Kahn’s behaviour had been out of character and because of close links with his family. Strauss-Kahn’s second wife was Banon’s godmother. She said he was “an otherwise warm, sympathetic and extremely talented man”, but the attack had left her daughter depressed and traumatised. “My daughter, despite the passing years, is still shocked by these facts. Her life was completely upset by this affair and she was depressed for a long time.” Before Koubbi’s announcement, France was divided on whether it wanted Strauss-Kahn back in public life. A poll released on Monday found that 51% of French people thought Strauss-Kahn no longer had a political future, versus 42% who thought he did. Another poll published on Sunday in Le Parisien showed 49% wanted Strauss-Kahn to return to French politics. Dominique Strauss-Kahn France Europe Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk

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