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Strauss-Kahn faces charges

July 26, 2013

The former head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, will face charges of pimping in a French court, prosecutors say. The scandal-dogged Strauss-Kahn could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

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The then-International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn pauses during a news conference in October, 2008, in Washington, DC. The former IMF chief is facing pimping charges in a French court. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

The former French presidential hopeful has been plagued by scandals since being accused of rape in New York in 2011 – a charge that was dropped.

Prosecutors investigating sex parties attended by Strauss-Kahn decided Friday the former IMF chief should be judged by a criminal court. He will be tried on charges of pimping.

The so-called Carlton affair, for which Strauss-Kahn has been under investigation since 2012, is named after a hotel in Lille and involves sex parties that Strauss-Kahn has acknowledged attending.

Strauss-Kahn is charged with "aggravated pimping" which, under French law, can mean aiding or encouraging the act of prostitution. The accused claims he was unaware that the women involved in the parties were prostitutes.

Twelve others have also been charged in the case.

If convicted, the former IMF chief could face a maximum 10 year term in prison and a fine of $2 million (1.5 million euros).

Strauss-Kahn stepped down from his post as the IMF head in 2011, following the New York-based rape allegations by a maid.

tm/dr (Reuters, AFP)