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Journalism of Courage
The security chief of the group that owns the hotel where Dominique Strauss-Kahn was accused of trying to rape a maid,telephoned French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s palace within minutes of learning of his arrest.
France’s opposition Socialists claimed that the timing of the call raised questions about whether there was any official involvement in the arrest of the former IMF chief,the Telegraph reports.
There had been a string of allegations since Strauss-Kahns arrest,implying that he was the victim of a set-up or conspiracy,allegedly involving the French-owned Accor group,which owned the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan where the alleged sex assault took place.
Accor’s security chief,René-Georges Querry,however,dismissed conspiracy claims.
He said he received a call at about 11.45 pm French time,roughly an hour after Strauss-Kahn’s arrest,as he boarded an Air France flight back to Paris.
Querry confirmed that he had “immediately” phoned Ange Mancini,who coordinates national intelligence at the Elysée palace.
He said he rang him because of his post and because he was a close friend.
I merely relayed information that was already public in New York, Querry said,adding that this was four hours after the maid made her sex attack claims to the hotel management.
As for suggesting that I had some kind of influence over New York police from Paris,that’s sheer madness, he added.
Accor sources said it was not unusual for the group to contact the government in the event of an international emergency.
