Strauss-Kahn Is Freed From House Arrest

A state Supreme Court justice in Manhattan officially released Dominique Strauss-Kahn from house arrest Friday after hearing that prosecutors have serious issues with the hotel housekeeper whose credibility has been, until now, the cornerstone of their case.

Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, was released on his own recognizance after a month of strict house arrest, which in his case required not only 24-hour confinement and an ankle monitor but the posting of a security team at a cost of about $250,000 a month at the building where he lives. But as of now, the criminal case against him still stands. –BF

The New York Times:

Prosecutors acknowledged that there were significant credibility issues with the hotel housekeeper who accused Mr. Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her in May. In a brief hearing at State Supreme Court in Manhattan, prosecutors did not oppose his release; the judge then freed Mr. Strauss-Kahn on his own recognizance.

The development represented a stunning reversal in a case that reshaped the French political landscape and sparked debate about morals, the treatment of women and the American justice system. The case could also alter the political fortunes of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, who is just a year and a half into his tenure and was facing his most highly publicized case to date.

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