Updated 05/19/2011 12:47 AM
IMF Chief Resigns From His Post Before Bail Hearing
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Dominique Strauss-Kahn has submitted his resignation from his position as chief of the International Monetary Fund, hours before he is scheduled to appear at a Thursday bail hearing in regards to his alleged sexual assault of a Manhattan hotel maid.
Strauss-Kahn, 62, is expected to ask for bail later today, so he can stay at his daughter's Manhattan home under electronic surveillance.
Late Wednesday, the IMF's executive board reportedly released a letter from Strauss-Kahn, in which he said he felt "great sadness" in stepping down, but that he was thinking of his family and wanted to protect the IMF. He also denied the allegations against him.
Earlier Wednesday, a Manhattan grand jury heard testimony from the accuser, who said that Strauss-Kahn attacked her in his suite in the Sofitel on West 44th Street and forced her to perform oral sex.
The maid's attorney, Jeffrey Shapiro, said his client hopes that Strauss-Kahn is denied bail.
"The idea that this man could be on the streets free would cause her great concern," said Shapiro.
Forensic investigators reportedly collected pieces of carpet from Strauss-Kahn's hotel room in their search for DNA evidence.
They are also using the 32-year-old maid's keycard to check how she entered his room and the length of her stay.
Strauss-Kahn's lawyers believe evidence will show that if any sexual encounter did occur, it was consensual.
Meanwhile, two French journalists told NY1's Errol Louis that a majority of French people believe what happened to the man once seen as the strongest challenger to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was a political set-up.
They also believe the way Strauss-Khan is being portrayed in the American media is causing prejudice.
"It's a detail for you, but for French people it was very appalling to see that an important man, in handcuffs, it's like a show for French people, and like hitting on a man who's already down," said Charlotte Le Grix de La Salle, the editor-in-chief of the news magazine and website France Amerique
"The way they made a show out of this arrest has shocked French people because everybody is innocent before being proved guilty, and it seems that DSK was guilty and shown as guilty for the media," said Etienne Truchot, a producer for the French television network M6.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday that Strauss-Kahn is getting the same treatment as anyone else arrested and charged with a crime in New York City.
"This is the normal procedure for an arrest. We handled this as a normal arrest," said Kelly. "Perhaps people in France are just not familiar with our system."
On the other hand, the French media has reported the maid's name, which is a practice not permissible in the American media.
If convicted, Strauss-Kahn faces up to 25 years in prison.