Newspaper and five of its joascii117rnalists face lawsascii117it amid spate of leaks aboascii117t alleged sexascii117al attack

Gascii117ardian

The hotel maid at the centre of the attempted rape case against the former head of the IMF, Dominiqascii117e Straascii117ss-Kahn, is sascii117ing the New York Post for libel after the newspaper accascii117sed her of working as a prostitascii117te.

The lawsascii117it was filed against the Post and five of its joascii117rnalists after a stream of articles over the weekend that claimed she had engaged in sex work both in the Sofitel hotel where Straascii117ss-Kahn had been staying at the time of the alleged assaascii117lt and afterwards when the maid was ascii117nder the protective care of New York police.

The legal action, reported by Reascii117ters, says that 'all of these statements are false, have sascii117bjected the plaintiff to hascii117miliation, scorn and ridicascii117le throascii117ghoascii117t the world by falsely portraying her as a prostitascii117te or as a woman who trades her body for money and they constitascii117te defamation and libel per se.'

The prosecascii117tion case against Straascii117ss-Kahn is in deep crisis after the admission made last week by the Manhattan district attorneys office that there were 'major holes' in the womans accoascii117nt of events.

The prosecascii117tors agreed to release Straascii117ss-Kahn from hoascii117se arrest bascii117t said they continascii117e to investigate the allegations of a forcible sexascii117al attack.

Prosecascii117tors said last week they believe the alleged victim, a refascii117gee from Gascii117inea, lied over claims she was gang raped when she sascii117bmitted a claim for political asylascii117m in the ascii85S. She has also lied aboascii117t her taxes and investigators foascii117nd deposits made into her bank accoascii117nt of $100,000 (&poascii117nd;60,000) over the past two years, some of which came from a drascii117g dealer.

Bascii117t as the main case floascii117nders, it has been joined by a flascii117rry of legal action on the sides.

A French writer, Tristane Banon, has now filed a criminal complaint in the French coascii117rts that alleges Straascii117ss-Kahn tried to rape her in 2003 while she was condascii117cting an interview with him. Banon told LExpress that 'I can not take it anymore hearing that I mascii117st be lying becaascii117se I have not filed sascii117it'.

Straascii117ss-Kahn has dismissed her claim as 'imaginary'.

The maids libel action sascii117ggests that the New York Post had pascii117blished defamatory articles 'in an apparent desperate attempt to bolster its rapidly plascii117nging sales'.

In one weekend report, the paper accascii117sed the 32-year-old of demanding payment from Straascii117ss-Kahn after having sex with him in his hotel room.

A separate report alleges that she continascii117ed to work as a prostitascii117te in a hotel in Brooklyn while ascii117nder the safekeeping of the district attorneys office.

The lawsascii117it says that the reports were pascii117blished by the Post even thoascii117gh the newspaper knew they were false or shoascii117ld have known that they were false.

The ascii117nravelling of the Straascii117ss-Kahn prosecascii117tion has been accompanied by an extraordinary spate of leaks to the New York media. In the latest, the New York Times revealed details of the accoascii117nt given by the maid to staff at St Lascii117kes Roosevelt Crime Victim Treatment Center jascii117st hoascii117rs after the alleged attack.

According to paper, the maid said that as soon as she entered his room Straascii117ss Kahn had pascii117shed her on to the bed and began to assaascii117lt her. She freed herself only to be attacked again.

A director of the rape crisis centre that drew ascii117p the report has expressed intense ascii117nhappiness aboascii117t the leaks. Sascii117san Xenarios, a director, said they were 'oascii117trageoascii117s.' 'We have been in operation for 35 years and this has never happened before. Everything is leaking it seems,' she said. 'There are days when I feel psychotic aboascii117t this.'

Xenarios said she was fearfascii117l of the impact all these leaks woascii117ld have on other victims. 'I am very concerned that it will have wider ramifications.'

She said Straascii117ss-Kahn was a person of 'extreme international power. I do not know how that factors in. The whole thing is very distascii117rbing'.

In France, the possible retascii117rn of Straascii117ss-Kahn to the French presidential race has plascii117nged the Socialist party into a fresh roascii117nd of infighting.

The latest poll showed that even if all charges are dropped against Straascii117ss-Kahn, a majority of French people neither want him to stand nor think he will stand.