from Vos Iz Neias excerpts – Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s allies are hoping that new doubts about the New York chambermaid who accused of him of assault can help revive his 2012 French presidential bid.
…Investigators have come to believe that the woman lied about some of her activities in the hours around the alleged attack and about her own background, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official is familiar with the case but spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public in court.
Prosecutors think she lied about details on her application for asylum in the U.S., including saying she had been raped in her native Guinea, the official told the AP. “She actually recounted the entire story to prosecutors and later said it was false,” the official said.
Many in France welcomed the surprising news — not only those who want to see Socialist Strauss-Kahn replace conservative Nicolas Sarkozy as president, but also many who feel the American media and public have unfairly assumed the 62-year-old Frenchman is guilty.
Sarkozy did not comment publicly Friday about the new legal developments in New York. The deadline for declaring candidacy in the French presidency is July 13.
French Socialist politician Michele Sabban said her party should put its presidential primary calendar on hold if Strauss-Kahn is exonerated.
“If Dominique Strauss-Kahn is cleared, I ask the Socialist Party to suspend the primary process,” Sabban said Friday on i-tele television.
The chief of the Socialist Party, Martine Aubry, said the news brought her “immense joy.”
“I hope that the American justice system establishes all the truth tonight and allows Dominique to get out of this nightmare,” she told reporters.
The prospect that Strauss-Kahn could be released was greeted with satisfaction in France in part because many here felt that the case had stained the country’s reputation.