DSK Has Bail Lifted Over Sex Assault Case

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released without bail over sexual assault allegations.

The former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief had his strict bail conditions lifted after he seeked to change them in a New York Court.

He was given his cash bond back but the judge told him he still could not leave the country and authorities retained his travel documents.

The revelation comes after the credibility of the hotel maid who accused him was questioned.

The woman, who cleaned the suite at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan where the French politician was staying, claimed he appeared naked from the bathroom and chased her down the hall before the alleged assault took place.

Prosecutors in New York were initially confident in her story - but are now said to have doubts about the woman's credibility as a witness.

According to the New York Times, officials say that since her initial allegations in May, the 32-year-old has repeatedly lied.

The paper said that although forensic evidence showed there had been a sexual encounter between the pair, prosecutors did not believe much of what the woman had told them.

It reported that prosecutors had discovered issues with the Guinean immigrant's asylum application and possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering.

Prosecutors also found out the woman had had a phone conversation, which was recorded, within a day of her encounter with Strauss-Kahn, in which she told a man about the possible benefits of pursuing the charges, the New York Times said.

He is currently under house arrest in a townhouse in the Tribeca neighbourhood of Manhattan, where he is subject to an electronic monitoring device and under the 24-hour watch of armed guards.

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