Strauss-Kahn freed without bail

1 July 2011 Last updated at 19:45 GMT Dominique Strauss-Kahn looked relaxed as he emerged from court alongside his wife

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released from house arrest and had his $6m (?3.7m) cash bail and bond returned amid doubts over the credibility of his accuser.

Prosecutors have agreed that Mr Strauss-Kahn should be freed "on his own recognisance", meaning he must simply promise to appear in court.

He is accused of sexually assaulting a maid in a New York hotel on 14 May.

The case is now close to collapse, US media reports say.

The 62-year-old French politician - who had been seen as a leading candidate for the French presidency - appeared in court in New York on Friday over the sexual assault case.

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The only defence Dominique Strauss-Kahn has is that this sexual encounter was consensual. That it a lie”

End Quote Kenneth P Thompson Lawyer for alleged victim 'Substantial change' After assessing disclosures by prosecutors from the office of the Manhattan district attorney, a judge rescinded the strict bail terms imposed on Mr Strauss-Kahn, but did order that his passport be retained so he could not travel outside the US.

In a letter submitted to the court prosecutors said that the maid gave false testimony to a grand jury, omitting the fact that she cleaned another room before alerting a supervisor to her claims of sexual assault.

"I understand that the circumstances of this case have changed substantially, and I agree the risk that he would not be here has receded quite a bit. I release Mr Strauss-Kahn at his own recognisance," Justice Michael Obus told the court on Friday.

"In the meantime there will be no rush to judgment on this case," Mr Obus said.

On the court steps, opposing lawyers each maintained their case.

"I want to remind all of you that at each appearance in the last six weeks, we asked you and asked the world not to rush to judgement - now I think you can understand why," said Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer, William Taylor.

Continue reading the main story Caroline Hepker BBC News, New York

Dominique Strauss-Kahn looked tanned and confident in court in Manhattan. It was a very different sight to the dishevelled former IMF boss who appeared only a few weeks ago to deny serious sexual allegations.

In the court, journalists packed the benches and even the jury box as the case took a stunning twist. Following the hearing, lawyers for both sides slugged it out under the blazing sunshine on the steps of the courthouse.

Camera crews lined both sides of the street as helicopters buzzed overhead vying for a glimpse of Mr Strauss-Kahn and his wife.

The street where he has remained under house arrest has been besieged by paparrazzi during the past several weeks, much to the annoyance of other residents.

In New York, there has been a fascination with the seeming downfall of this powerful Frenchman. Now the story from the victim is being challenged -another amazing twist that will be followed with interest.

"We believe the next step will lead to the complete dismissal of the charges," he added.

After Friday's hearing, Mr Strauss-Kahn strode out of court smiling, with his wife on his arm.

In earlier court hearings, prosecutors had spoken of the strength of their case. One attorney said the proof against him was "substantial".

Now prosecutors believe she may have lied under questioning and could have links to drug dealers and money-laundering.

But the alleged victim's lawyer, Kenneth P Thompson, maintained on Friday that his client's story was genuine and that Mr Strauss-Kahn was guilty of sexual assault charges.

"The only defence Dominique Strauss-Kahn has is that this sexual encounter was consensual. That is a lie," he said.

He continued at length, giving a detailed and graphic account of the maid's alleged encounter with Mr Strauss-Kahn and criticising District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Mr Vance said the case would continue to be investigated, including concerns that had been raised about the credibility of Mr Strauss-Kahn's accuser.

"Our prosecutors from the Manhattan DA's office will continue their investigation into these alleged crimes and will do so until we have uncovered all relevant facts," he said.

Mr Strauss-Kahn is to appear back in court on 18 July.

Doubts over credibility

The maid claims that Mr Strauss-Kahn chased her down a hallway in his expensive hotel suite in the Sofitel hotel before sexually assaulting her.

However, unnamed law enforcement officials have now told US media the accuser has repeatedly lied since the alleged attack on 14 May.

The officials believe the woman also lied on her application for asylum in the US, particularly over an allegation that she had been raped while at home in Guinea, in West Africa.

Mr Vance: “Our office's commitment is to the truth and to the facts"

"She actually recounted the entire story to prosecutors and later said it was false," one law enforcement official told the Associated Press news agency.

But Mr Thompson defended his client's story on Friday, offering up graphic details of the alleged encounter between Mr Strauss-Kahn and the maid.

"From day one she has described a violent sexual assault that Dominique Strauss-Kahn committed against her," Mr Thompson said, adding that Mr Strauss-Kahn bruised the maid's body and threw her to the floor.

"She has never once changed a single thing about that account. The district attorney knows that," he added.

Mr Thompson said that though the maid "may have made some mistakes", that does not mean the assault never occurred.

Following the twists to the sexual assault case on Friday, hopes among some have been raised about the possibility Mr Strauss-Kahn may once again be able to compete with Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency in 2012.

Mr Strauss-Kahn had been under house arrest in a New York apartment since posting a $6m (?3.7m) cash bail and bond in May.

He is charged with seven counts including four more serious felony charges - two of criminal sexual acts, one of attempted rape and one of sexual abuse - plus three misdemeanour offences, including unlawful imprisonment.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as head of the International Monetary Fund to defend himself, vigorously denies the charges.

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Freed hostages return to France

30 June 2011 Last updated at 08:46 GMT The two men were greeted by a warm welcome when they arrived

Two French journalists held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 18 months have arrived in France, flying into an airport near Paris.

Cameraman Stephane Taponier and reporter Herve Ghesquiere were freed in circumstances that remain unclear.

The pair were kidnapped with Afghan colleagues near Kabul in December 2009 while on assignment for French TV.

Mr Ghesquiere said they were both in good health. "We were never threatened with death, never beaten," he said.

The two Frenchmen, who were working for French state television network France-3, had become some of the longest-held Western hostages in Afghanistan.

"There are lots of hostages in the world, I feel for those who are held hostage, and those who died in operations when they tried to save them," the forty-seven-year-old added.

"Until you have been a hostage, you can't understand but I really feel for them because it is over for us but still going for them."

'No regrets'

The pair, who had been embedded with French troops in Afghanistan, decided to gather material from an area known locally as "the Black Hole", according to the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris.

In April 2010, after posting a video of the hostages on the internet, the Taliban said they had submitted a list of prisoners to French authorities that they wanted freed in exchange for the two journalists.

Mr Taponier, 46, and Mr Ghesquiere and one of the three Afghan colleagues with whom they were seized, interpreter Reza Din, were released on Wednesday. French officials have said that no ransom was paid for the men.

The other two Afghan translators had been released some time ago, French officials said.

After stepping on to the tarmac, the two embraced waiting relatives and shook hands with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife.

Mr Ghesquiere, who was held in solitary confinement for the last eight months, said he did not regret his decision to work in Afghanistan.

"It's what I always wanted to do. I don't want to go back to Afghanistan tomorrow but [...] I want to do this job now more than ever."

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Journalists freed in Afghanistan

29 June 2011 Last updated at 14:51 GMT France saw a campaign for the journalists' release Two French journalists abducted in Afghanistan 18 months ago have been released, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced.

Herve Ghesquiere and Stephane Taponier were freed along with their interpreter, Reza Din, Mr Sarkozy said in a statement in Paris.

They are reportedly now at a French base in north-eastern Afghanistan.

Expressing delight, Mr Sarkozy thanked Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his handling of the hostage situation.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon told the French parliament the freed Frenchmen were at the Tagab base in Kapisa province.

They were "in good health" and would be back on French soil "in a few hours", he said.

There was no immediate word about two other Afghans who were abducted along with the three men released.

The Frenchmen, who were working for France 3 television, were abducted on 30 December 2009 in Kapisa, about 60km (37 miles) from the Afghan capital, Kabul.

They were kidnapped by Taliban insurgents, AFP news agency reports.

The first anniversary of their abduction was marked by vigils in France, where their photos were projected on to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Campaigning group Reporters Without Borders had called on President Sarkozy to make their case a "national priority".

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