Former IMF head Strauss-Kahn pimp probe continues

A probe into allegations that Dominique Strauss-Kahn procured prostitutes for sex parties will continue after a French court on Wednesday rejected a request for the dismissal of pimping charges against the former head of the International Monetary Fund.

Lawyers for the disgraced politician said they would appeal the court's decision.

"Mr Strauss-Kahn's defense is certain that he will ultimately be cleared of the absurd charges of pimping that have been made against him," they said in a statement.

Strauss-Kahn lawyer Henri Leclerc lashed out at investigating judges in the case. He claimed the charges against Strauss-Kahn were not specified, that some evidence was hidden from the defense team, facts were twisted and definitions of the legal term "pimping" were created with no basis in law.

Outside the Douai courthouse, Frederique Baulieu, another defense lawyer, told reporters, "We are certain that Dominique Strauss-Kahn will be cleansed of all charges against him."

The setback for Strauss-Kahn came a week after he agreed to a financial settlement with a New York hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault in a case that forced him to resign from his IMF job and destroyed his chances of becoming French president.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed, but legal experts said Strauss-Kahn would have been required to pay Nafissatou Diallo several million dollars over her allegation that he had jumped on her naked and forced her to perform oral sex.

Strauss-Kahn admitted that a sexual encounter took place in the Sofitel hotel in May 2011, but he insisted it was consensual.

A criminal investigation into the incident collapsed after Diallo changed her version of events, prompting the prosecution to conclude there was little chance of a conviction.

French prosecutors, however, are convinced they have a case against Strauss-Kahn for "aggravated pimping in an organized gang".