IMF boss refused bail
IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn was denied bail yesterday over allegations he attempted to rape a maid in a New York hotel.
A US judge decided he was at high risk of taking flight despite his family offering to pay $1m (£617,500) in bail. He will now remain in custody at New York’s Rikers Island prison until his next hearing on 20 May.
Prosecution lawyers say there is forensic evidence corroborating the maid’s account. Lawyers in France claimed Strauss-Kahn had already left the hotel to meet his daughter for lunch at the time of the attack.
Scheduled meetings went ahead in his absence, with European finance ministers voting to approve Portugal’s €78bn (£68bn) bailout.
The IMF said last night that no decision had been made on Strauss-Kahn’s future.