Strauss-Kahn served as the head of the International Monetary Fund from 2007 until 2011 when an allegation of sexual assault was made against him. He was arrested after New York police ordered the aircraft he was about to take off in to stop, after which they boarded the plane and arrested him.
He was arraigned over allegations by Nafissatou Diallo, a maid at the Sofitel New York Hotel, who alleged that Strauss-Kahn had sexually assaulted her after she entered his suite. Although a semen sample taken from her skirt matched a DNA submitted by Strauss-Kahn, the charges were dropped because the police and prosecutors said they could not rely on the maid’s testimony.
The Sofitel affair was later made into a film starring Gérard Depardieu playing a role based on Strauss-Kahn.
Then the French journalist and writer claimed that Strauss Kahn had attempted to rape her, but the charges were dropped through lack of evidence. In 2012, he was accused of taking part in sex parties at hotels in Lille, northern France, which involved prostitutes. Although he admitted attending the parties, Strauss-Kahn denied knowing the involvement of prostitutes. He was accused of "aggravated pimping" but the charges were dropped in 2015.
Billionaire Battle
He joins the supervisory board at Bank Credit-Dnepr, which is owned by Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk, the son-in-law of former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma. He is ranked by Forbes – as at January 2016 – as being worth US$1.4 billion. He is a friend of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Pinchuk is the founder and main owner of EastOne Group LLC which provides services to around twenty companies which include: Credit-Dnepr, the Interpipe Pipe and Wheel Company, StarLightMedia TV (which includes STB, Novy, ICTV, QTV, M1 and M2), and the Fakty i Komentarii newspaper.
Punchuk became embroiled in what was due to be the most expensive court case in English history when he brought legal action in a US$2 billion lawsuit against two other Ukrainian billionaires, London-based Gennadiy Bogolyubov and his business partner, Igor Kolomoisky over the purchase of a mining company in Ukraine. The case was settled out of court just days before the trial was due to begin.
The Victor Pinchuk Foundation has supported a film made by Steven Spielberg on the Holocaust in Ukraine as well as human rights projects with George Soros. Pinchuk organized a free concert by Paul McCartney and launched an arts prize, with a jury comprising Elton John and Jeff Koons, among others.
