French prosecutors want to drop Dominique Strauss-Kahn case

Prosecutors in northern France want to abandon the final outstanding legal action against the disgraced former IMF chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The state prosecution service in Lille believes that the 6,800 pages and volumes of evidence assembled in the Carlton affair – an investigation of orgies involving prostitutes in France, Belgium and the United States – contain insufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Strauss-Kahn for pimping.

The final decision on whether Mr Strauss-Kahn, 64, should be sent for trial rests with the investigating magistrates in charge of the case. They must make their decision within one month.

Prosecutors in Lille believe that there is sufficient evidence to try 13 other people for pimping and other offences but no clear case against Mr Strauss-Kahn. The investigating magistrates argued that Mr Strauss-Kahn instigated and helped to organise the orgies and was therefore technically guilty of pimping under French law.

One of Mr Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, Frédérique Beaulieu, said: “Dominique Strauss-Kahn is very relieved… This is a victory for the letter of the law and against [the] moralising approach [of the investigating magistrates]”. This is the only criminal investigation remaining against Mr Strauss-Kahn.