Acquit Dominique Strauss-Kahn, says French prosecutor

 by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News

A French prosecutor has called for the acquittal of the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, on charges of pimping.

Lille prosecutor Frederic Fevre said neither the investigation nor the evidence heard in court had established that he was guilty.
Mr Strauss-Kahn has always denied knowing that women who took part in orgies with him were prostitutes.
The judge must decide whether he did know or if he organised the parties.
In France, being found guilty of pimping carries with it a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of €1.5m ($1.7; £1.1m).

Analysis: Hugh Schofield, BBC News, Paris

What is the point of a trial when the prosecutor himself asks for the accused to be acquitted? In the case of Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the pimping charges, it is not altogether a stupid question.
From the start there have been doubts over whether the case against the former IMF chief was really strong enough to go to court. Even before the trial, the prosecutor's office recommended that the charges be dropped.
To get a conviction for "proxenetisme" - pimping - it had to be proved that Mr Strauss-Kahn at the very least knew the women at the sex parties were prostitutes; but nothing was ever produced to show that he did.
Some are happy because at least the evidence showed Mr Strauss-Kahn at his sleazy worst. But many are uneasy about the way a court of law seems to have been turned into a court of moral censure.

'Widely predicted'

Yesterday, five out of the six plaintiffs - four prostitutes and an association - dropped their accusations against Mr Strauss-Kahn.
They abandoned their damages claims saying they had no proof that Mr Strauss-Kahn knew he was involved with prostitutes.
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris described Mr Fevre's decision as "widely predicted".
He added that unlike the investigating magistrate, the state prosecutor had always been sceptical about securing a conviction.
Correspondents are predicting that despite the salacious revelations made about his sex life, Mr Strauss-Kahn will now avoid conviction.
The three-week trial concludes at the end of the week and the judge will issue his verdict at some point afterwards.

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Strauss-Kahn grilled over 'love nest' in pimping trial

by Natalie de Vallieres and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Paris

Ex-IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn was grilled on his use of a "bachelor pad" for orgies as he appeared for a third and final day at his trial for aggravated pimping in France.

The court also heard how he sent text messages asking for women - described as "gear" - to be sent for sex parties.
Mr Strauss-Kahn said neither proved he instigated prostitution.
The one-time presidential hopeful denies helping to procure sex workers for a hotel prostitution ring in Lille.
He has argued that he did not know the women at sex parties were prostitutes.

'Discreet'

The judges' attention turned on Thursday to the use of his private apartment in a chic Parisian neighbourhood. Prosecutors said it was made available for "paid sexual encounters" - showing that Mr Strauss-Kahn facilitated prostitution.
Although using prostitutes is not illegal in France, supplying them or assisting in supplying them is.
But the former head of the International Monetary Fund insists he was unaware that women involved in the parties were prostitutes.
He told the court in Lille that he rented the apartment in the name of a friend and kept it secret because he was married at the time and he needed a "discreet" place to meet other politicians and women.
The court also discussed text message conversations between Mr Strauss-Kahn and his friend and co-accused Fabrice Paszkowski, who has already admitted to organising and financing the parties.

Businessman Fabrice Paszkowski says he organised sex parties but never told DSK the women were paid

Mr Strauss-Kahn said he regretted the "inappropriate" language used to describe women - referring to them as "gear" and "gifts" - but that said he did not organise the orgies.

'Fed up'

If found guilty, the one-time potential candidate for the French presidency - known in the media as DSK - could face up to 10 years in jail and a €1.5m (£1.13m) fine.
On Wednesday Mr Strauss-Kahn expressed exasperation with persistent questions about his sexual practices.

The former IMF chief argues that he has never knowingly slept with prostitutes

He said it was "absurd" to suggest that his preference for "rougher" sexual acts would spur him to seek out prostitutes.
One of the former prostitutes, Jade, had earlier in the day told the court that Mr Strauss-Kahn had engaged in sodomy without her permission.
He said later that he had not been aware of her objection and apologised but reminded the court that he had not been put on trial for "deviant sexual acts".
"I'm beginning to get a little fed up," he said, his voiced raised, when a lawyer acting for the prostitutes cross-examined him about the incident.
A total of 14 defendants are on trial for "aggravated pimping", including luxury hotel managers, a lawyer, a former police commissioner and a brothel owner nicknamed "Dodo the Pimp".
It is the latest sex-related allegation to trouble Mr Strauss-Kahn, who stepped down from the IMF after being accused of attempted rape by a hotel maid in New York in 2011.

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Strauss-Kahn Accuser Thanks NY Supporters

Published: July 28, 2011 at 2:32 PM ET

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NEW YORK — The hotel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault made her first public appearance Thursday, thanking her supporters and saying she and her family had gone through a lot in the last two months.

Speaking at a cultural center in Brooklyn, a visibly nervous Nafissatou Diallo told a throng of reporters she was speaking because she wanted to "let people know a lot of things they say about me is not true."

It was the 32-year-old's first public appearance since breaking her silence in recent interviews with ABC and Newsweek.

It's nearly unheard of for an alleged sex assault victim to speak publicly before the end of court proceedings, and it's not clear whether her decision to come forward affected her already-tenuous relationship with the prosecutors investigating her case.

Diallo and her attorney met with prosecutors on Wednesday for nearly eight hours, their first meeting since the Manhattan district attorney's office publicly announced it had doubts about her credibility because she had lied about what she did in the moments after her encounter with Strauss-Kahn and about her background, including by telling prosecutors a false story of having been gang-raped in her native Guinea.

Prosecutors also were concerned that the woman had mentioned Strauss-Kahn's wealth in a recorded conversation with an incarcerated friend, and that she had little explanation for tens of thousands of dollars other people had deposited in her bank account, a law enforcement official has said.

She and her lawyer have said she has made some mistakes in her life, but they should have no bearing on the case. She has said some of the questions raised about her credibility were the results of misunderstandings or misperceptions.

Strauss-Kahn has been charged with attempted rape and other crimes. The former head of the International Monetary Fund has denied Diallo's accusations. His next court date is Aug. 23, and his attorneys have said they hope the case will be dropped.

Diallo said the past two months had been filled with a lot of tears from her and her teenage daughter. She said her daughter asked her to be strong.

"I promise her I'm going to be strong for you and every other woman in the world," she said.

Diallo's attorney Kenneth Thompson said she has been wrongfully portrayed as a money-grubbing opportunist in newspaper accounts of her recorded remarks to the incarcerated friend.

The recordings also established that Diallo recounted the attack to the man during their first conversation, a day after the alleged attack. Her lawyer said that showed that her focus was on what had happened to her, not on the former French presidential candidate's wealth or stature.