Former IMF Chief Was Granted Bail by a New York Judge

Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been formally charged with attempted rape of an employee at a hotel, prosecutors said Thursday in New York.

Prosecutors also told the Supreme Court of New York opposed the bail petition on procedural grounds.

The accusation, made by a grand jury, is the formal charge but the case can go to court if Strauss-Kahn pleads not guilty. The lawyers have said he plans to plead not guilty.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus said that Strauss-Kahn, 62, can be released on $1 million cash bail, and placed under 24-hour home detention with electronic monitoring — conditions that had been proposed by his lawyers.

The judge also said Strauss-Kahn must have one armed guard at all times at his own expense and have a $5 million insurance bond.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned Thursday as chief of the International Monetary Fund, noting that it was with “infinite sadness ” and will focus on proving his innocence of thecharges against him for alleged sexual assault.

Source: AFP / Huffingtonpost