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Dominique Strauss-Kahn Acquitted in France

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was acquitted of aggravated procurement charges today in France.

Although using prostitutes is not illegal in France, assisting in supplying them is illegal and regarded as procuring. Mr Strauss-Kahn had been accused of playing a pivotal role in facilitating the orgies.

The verdict brings to a close four years of legal proceedings against Mr Strauss-Kahn, including charges of attempted rape which were later dropped in 2012.

It's the correct decision legally. [more..]

The chief judge said Mr Strauss-Kahn behaved as a client and had not paid the sex workers he met. He only benefitted from others paying them to be present for group parties, the judge added.

All but one of the many defendants were also acquitted. Rene Kojfer, the former public relations chief of Hotel Carlton in Lille, where some of the parties occurred was found guilty and given a one year suspended sentence.

Even the prosecutor had asked that the charges be dismissed. The prosecutor originally recommended against the charges, but the investigating magistrate judges overruled him, saying that Strauss-Kahn was a key planner of the parties and knew that the women who attended them were prostitutes. But the evidence at trial failed to show DSK knew they were prostitutes and he testified and denied knowing they were paid.

The prosecutor said he was disturbed by the disparate way DSK's trial was conducted. Only DSK's sexual practices were delved into by the prostitutes who testified, not those of the others on trial.

In France, judges do not have to accept the proseuctor's motion to dismiss. Ultimately, they arrived at the same conclusion. The evidence was not there. Five of the six women - including four prostitutes - had dropped their accusations against DSK because of a lack of evidence.

As the proseuctor said, judges work "with the penal code and not with the moral code."

Some background here and here.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Do "parties" like this occur in the US? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Green26 on Sat Jun 13, 2015 at 12:14:06 AM EST
    Just curious. I have never heard or read about stuff like this, until this case.

    correct me if i'm wrong, but i assume you mean (none / 0) (#2)
    by cpinva on Sat Jun 13, 2015 at 01:51:11 AM EST
    sex parties with paid sex workers. if so, I'd imagine the answer is yes. the US has lots of wealthy business people, and entertaining a client/potential client with an evening of free sex isn't exactly a new thing.

    if you meant something else, than I have no idea, of either what you're talking about, or what the correct answer might be.

    How could the former chief (none / 0) (#3)
    by ding7777 on Sat Jun 13, 2015 at 01:19:13 PM EST
    of the International Monetary Fund not know that "orgy parties with unknown women" is a euphemism for the "oldest profession"?

    While Mr Strauss-Kahn has admitted to being present at the orgies, he has always maintained that he did not know that some of the women involved were being paid.


    I wouldn't allow a man like DSK ... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Jun 13, 2015 at 05:50:00 PM EST
    ... to be anywhere near my daughters. Plain and simple, he's nothing but an old letch and a pig. Given his well-documented attitudes and behavior toward women, I suppose there's comfort in the thought that as he reaches his sunset years, he'll likely find himself very much alone, because his reckless sexual escapades do little to masquerade what appears to be a pitifully empty emotional existence.