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Strauss-Kahn pimping case weakens as five of six plaintiffs drop charges against ex-IMF chief

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ANI London

The ongoing pimping case involving Dominique Strauss-Kahn seems to have weakened after five of six plaintiffs dropped their charges against the former IMF chief.

According to the Independent, Strauss-Kahn has testified in the Lille court to having orgies while he was managing the world financial crisis, to being "rough" with his sexual "conquests," and to needing sex with exceptional frequency. But none of that is illegal.

Earlier, it was revealed during the trial that Strauss-Kahn had secretly rented a flat in Paris where he organized several sex parties for prostitutes, proving right the pimping charge against him, prosecutors said during his trial.

 

On the third and last day of his testimony in the Lille "pimping" trial, the disgraced former IMF chief said the flat, in the Rue d'Iena, was rented under a false name to disguise his activities from his then wife, Anne Sinclair, a well-known French journalist and TV presenter, the report said.

He said that the flat was not just for sexual activities while accepting that he did want its existence to be kept a secret.

Strauss-Khan said that the apartment was used by him to entertain young women for personal reasons but it was also useful for meeting political friends.

He maintained that he was unaware of the fact that the women attending the parties in the apartment were prostitutes.

Strauss-Kahn, who is facing trial for "aggravated pimping" in the northern French city of Lille, earlier admitted that he had "an appetite for rough sex " but told the court that his sexual activities should not be on trial.

Kahn lost his temper on the second day of his testimony in the Lille " pimping" trial and argued that he was being prosecuted for being Dominique Strauss-Kahn, reported The Independent.

Declaring that he had "enough of all this," he said that while everyone had the right to have an opinion on hi sexual behavior in private but it had nothing to do with this case.

Previously, a former prostitute testified at the trial of Dominique Strauss-Kahn that she attended "classy" lunchtime sex parties at apartments in Lille.

The woman nicknamed Jade burst into tears several times as she told the court how she had been forced into prostitution to support her two young children after her divorce.

She alleged that Rene Kojfer, a former public relations manager for the Carlton, and Dominique Alderweireld, a Belgian brothel owner known as Dodo the Pimp, had made the arrangements for her to attend lunchtime sex parties, the report said.

She recalled one of the parties that also involved Strauss-Khan and described how it was more of "carnage with a heap of mattresses on the floor."

In another testimony, one of Strauss-Kahn's mistresses claimed that the ex- IMF chief had offered her a brand new pair of designer boots worth 900 pounds and promised to teach her sex games if she agreed to attend orgies.

In 2011, Strauss-Kahn was arrested on charges of assaulting a maid at the Sofitel in New York, which went on to significantly affect his high-flying career.

The 65-year-old former IMF chief faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million euros if proved guilty.

Strauss-Kahn is expected to take the stand himself on Friday for a closing statement, after which, the judges will reportedly decide on when to deliver a verdict.

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First Published: Feb 17 2015 | 12:26 PM IST

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