New York prosecutors and defense lawyers for former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn met on Wednesday as the sexual assault case against him appeared to be falling apart.
Neither side would say publicly what was on the agenda, though The New York Times reported they would discuss whether the charges can be resolved by a dismissal or plea agreement.
Defense lawyers Benjamin Brafman and William Taylor arrived at the office of District Attorney Cyrus Vance shortly before noon (18:00 SA time) and declined to speak to reporters.
It was uncertain whether Vance, the chief prosecutor for Manhattan, would attend. Vance, an elected official whose reputation could be on the line with such a high-profile case, was seen leaving his office on Wednesday morning before defense lawyers arrived.
Strauss-Kahn's next scheduled court appearance is set for July 18, and speculation was building that prosecutors may have to drop the charges against him.
The case was thrown into jeopardy when prosecutors discovered the accuser, a 32-year-old hotel maid from Guinea, lied about being gang-raped in her home country in her application for US asylum and changed details of her story about what she did after her encounter with Strauss-Kahn in a luxury hotel suite.
A judge released Strauss-Kahn from house arrest and lifted strict bail conditions on Friday, although serious charges including sexual assault and attempted rape remain in place against the man once seen as a top French presidential contender.
Strauss-Kahn, 62, was arrested aboard a Paris-bound jet at John F. Kennedy airport on May 14 and subsequently resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund. He has denied the allegations.
In Paris on Tuesday, French writer Tristane Banon filed a complaint alleging Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her during an interview in a Paris apartment in 2003, when she was 22.
Banon, an author and journalist, previously gave a graphic account of her allegation on a 2007 television show although the name of man was bleeped out. Her lawyer spoke of filing charges two days after the New York accusations exploded in May.
A French judge who would examine the merits of her case could send investigators to the United States to question Strauss-Kahn before deciding whether the new sexual assault charges are to proceed. - Reuters