Strauss-Kahn acquitted from pimping charges

There was limited proof that the former IMF chief had promoted or profited from prostitution

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was acquitted from charges of “aggravated pimping” after standing trial in a court in Lille, France. The ruling ends four years of legal drama that began when a New York hotel cleaner accused him of sexual assault.

The former IMF chief admitted to court that he participated in sex orgies from 2008-2011 because he needed “recreation sessions” while he was busy “saving the world” from one of the financial crisis.

On their part, the prostitutes testified that they were not having fun during the “beast-like scenes.” Two prostitutes in particular gave tearful accounts of Strauss-Kahn’s sexual practices though they admitted that they never outrightly told him that they were paid for their sexual encounters.

The 66-year-old was just one among dozens of other defendants accused of organizing collective sex parties in Paris, Washington and Brussels.

Strauss-Kahn’s acquittal comes as no surprise as there was limited evidence pointing to a punishable crime. Even the prosecutor had asked for Strauss-Kahn’s acquittal as there was no proof that he had promoted prostitution or that he had profited from it.