Maid takes ex-IMF chief to supreme court

Islam Times reports from AP: Nafissatou Diallo, the New York City hotel maid, sued Strauss-Kahn in a State Supreme Court in the Bronx on Monday.

Her lawyers said in the court filing that Strauss-Kahn had "intentionally, brutally and violently sexually assaulted Ms Diallo and in the process humiliated, degraded, violated and robbed Ms Diallo of her dignity as a woman."

However, Strauss-Kahn's lawyers dismissed the lawsuit, saying it has no merit and has vowed to contest it.

"We have maintained from the beginning that the motivation of Mr. Thompson (Diallo's Lawyer) and his client was to make money."

Strauss-Kahn was arrested on May 14 over allegations that he had sexually assaulted Diallo at a luxury hotel near Times Square in New York.

The case took a dramatic turn in early July when prosecutors found that maid originally of Guinea had committed several minor frauds since her arrival in the country to better her life.

Further, prosecutors revealed that she had lied about what she did immediately after the attack. Instead of reporting the attack after leaving Strauss-Kahn's suite, she had gone cleaning another room.

Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest and had his $6m cash bail and bond returned amid doubts over the credibility of his accuser.

He was expected to declare his candidacy for the French presidency and was considered to be the leading contender as the Socialist Party before his arrest.