Epress.am News from Armenia
The chief prosecutor in the attempted rape trial of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has rejected calls to stand down, reports BBC News.
Lawyers representing the alleged victim in the sexual assault case accused Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance of undermining their case by leaking damaging information about her. They say Vance should be replaced by a special prosecutor.
Kenneth Thompson said he wanted to ensure his client’s rights “are not further prejudiced by deliberate acts seeking to undermine her credibility.”
But the district attorney’s office said the allegation was baseless.
“Any suggestion that this office should be recused is wholly without merit,” said District Attorney spokesperson Erin Duggan.
Earlier, Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers and prosecutors held a private meeting — lasting some 90 minutes — in an apparent attempt to explore the possibility of a plea bargain.
The former IMF chief denies sexually assaulting a hotel maid in New York on May 14, and was recently freed from house arrest in the city.