Soon after being cleared of the charges of attempting to rape a young French journalist in Paris,former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has now been implicated in an investigation into underage prostitution.
According to the Daily Mail,Strauss-Kahn,62,is among politicians and business leaders allegedly named in a black book of clients at a luxury hotel in Lille that was said to double as a brothel.
A judicial Inquiry into prostitution at Carlton Hotel took place in March in the wake of claims that underage girls were involved in it.
French Closer magazine,which published the claims,said it has seen prosecution documents that said Strauss-Kahn used prostitutes at the hotel.
The prostitutes and the go-betweens charging for sex indeed put forward the name of the husband of Anne Sinclair, the magazine claimed.
According to one of the girls in the ring,Dominique Strauss-Kahn would have benefitted from her services, it said.
The paper said that senior staff from the Carlton Hotel,including the manager and a public relations executive,were arrested earlier this month as part of the inquiry.
They are said to have acted as pimps for their guests,and face charges of procuring prostitutes,organised conspiracy in criminal acts and money laundering.
The magazine,well known for its investigative journalism,claimed it has 100 percent confirmation from Lille examining judges that Strauss-Kahn was a client of those accused.
Strauss-Kahn8217;s lawyers deny sexual assault claims
Meanwhile,lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn have disputed the Paris prosecutor8217;s statement that the former head of the International Monetary Fund admitted to sexually assaulting a French writer.
Attorneys Frederique Beaulieu and Henri Leclerc dismissed allegations by writer Tristane Banon that Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her during a 2003 interview as 8220;lying accusations.8221;
In a statement today,the lawyers insisted that Strauss-Kahn 8220;didn8217;t hide anything about the exact nature of his relations8221; with Banon.
The statement comes a day after the Paris prosecutor8217;s office said it has dropped an investigation into Banon8217;s attempted rape claims but added that Strauss-Kahn admitted during questioning to actions amounting to sexual assault.