French court clears ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of 'aggravated pimping'

Peter Weber, The Week US's avatar
By
Published
Ex-IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn was acquitted of "aggravated pimping" charges
(Image credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

On Friday, a court in Lille, France, acquitted former International Monetary Fund director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and 10 other defendants of "aggravated pimping" charges stemming from sex parties with prostitutes in luxury hotels. Strauss-Kahn denied organizing the orgies, telling the court that he didn't know the women were prostitutes and that he needed the "recreational sessions" while he was "saving the world from catastrophe" during the global financial crisis.

The acquittal ends four years of legal travails for Strauss-Kahn, beginning with the allegations by a maid in a New York hotel that Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted her. That case was settled out of court.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up
Peter Weber, The Week US
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.