New York (dpa) – Lawyers for former IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Wednesday asked a United States judge to dismiss a civil case against him, claiming that he had diplomatic immunity at the time of the alleged rape of a maid in a New York hotel last year. Amit Mehta, one of Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, told Judge Douglas McKeon in the Bronx State Supreme Court that dismissal would meet the international standard of diplomatic immunity granted to foreign diplomats and heads of international organizations. “Dismissal may be unfair to some, but it is the result the law compels,” Mehta said. Nafissatou Diallo's lawyers argued that Strauss-Kahn did not enjoy immunity from prosecution when he attempted to rape the former maid in the Sofitel Hotel in mid-town Manhattan in May 2011. US prosecutors dropped all charges against Strauss-Kahn in August after questioning Diallo's truthfulness in evidence provided by her. Diallo's lawyer Kenneth Thompson told the judge his client wants a verdict against Strauss-Kahn. McKeon said he would decide “in a few weeks” whether the civil case would proceed. The International Monetary Fund last year said Strauss-Kahn was on a private visit in New York at the time of the incident at the Sofitel and was not covered by diplomatic immunity. Neither Strauss-Kahn, who had ambitions for the French presidency, nor Diallo was present at the hearings. Strauss-Kahn was standing trial in Lille, France, after a court there charged him with aggravated pimping while he was head of the IMF. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/nykhr Tags: IMF, Rape, Strauss Kahn, Trial, United States Section: Latest News, North America, Women
