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No discussion of Strauss-Kahn plea bargain

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-07-07 15:47

WASHINGTON - Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the former IMF chief would not plead guilty to any charges in his sexual assault case and there had been no discussion with prosecutors of a plea bargain, The New York Times reported.

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"Mr. Strauss-Kahn will not be pleading guilty to anything," defense attorney William Taylor told the Times late on Wednesday after a two-hour meeting earlier in the day with New York prosecutors.

Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign as head of the International Monetary Fund after being charged with sexually assaulting a 32-year-old hotel maid from Guinea in his room in a Manhattan hotel.

But revelations that the accuser had lied about being raped in Guinea in a US asylum request and changed details of her story about what she did after the incident in Strauss-Kahn's hotel suite undermined her credibility and left prosecutors struggling to make a case.

Prosecutors left in place sexual assault charges against Strauss-Kahn after Wednesday's meeting, pledging to further investigate a case that appeared to be falling apart.

Strauss-Kahn's next scheduled court appearance is on July 18, and speculation is building that prosecutors may have to drop the charges against him.

If convicted of the charges, which include sexual assault and attempted rape, Strauss-Kahn, once seen as a top contender for the French presidency, would face up to 25 years in prison.