What Do You Think?

[John.hergy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15837717

Strauss-Kahn sues over breach of privacy on sex reports

22 November 2011

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife are suing a French presidential aide and media outlets for breach of privacy.

Their lawyers announced the move after reports, citing leaks from an investigation, linked Mr Strauss-Kahn to an illegal luxury prostitution ring.

Henri Guaino, aide to President Nicolas Sarkozy, referred on TV to a "zone where private life meets criminality".

It is unclear if Mr Strauss-Kahn will face charges in the prostitution case.

He returned to France from the US in September after American prosecutors dropped attempted rape charges over an incident in May with a hotel chambermaid in New York.

That case, which saw him jailed and then confined to house arrest, led to his resignation from the IMF. He still faces a civil suit brought by the maid involved.

An inquiry into an alleged attempted rape in France was dropped in August.

Since then the prostitution ring allegations, which date back to Mr Strauss-Kahn's time at the IMF, have emerged.
Arrests

Mr Strauss-Kahn's name was mentioned in connection with a call-girl ring in the northern French city of Lille, known as the Carlton affair after the name of the hotel where clients were allegedly supplied with prostitutes.

The affair led to the arrests of several leading figures in the city, including businessmen and police chiefs.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Mr Strauss-Kahn and his wife said they were suing Mr Guaino.

They were also serving writs on the daily newspaper Le Figaro and the weekly magazines L'Express, Nouvel Observateur, Paris Match and VSD.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, has demanded to be questioned by the judges and has called for an investigation into the leaks.

[John.hergy]

Could the hotel really be covering up?

However let’s apply some logic and consider a possibility.

Most cctv security cameras only record one or two frames a second in order to save space. Most normal speed computer play backs are at 20-30 frames a second. (which would make the play back very fast at normal speed) Let’s do a little math.

When recording let us assume only 1 frame a second.
1 frame a second x 60 seconds in a minute x 3 minutes = 180 frames recorded in 3 minutes.
Now for the play back most computer video play back is between 20-30 frames a second so for the sake of argument let us assume a 25 frame a second play back.

So if we play the security video back at normal speed how long would it play?

180 frames recorded / 25 frames a second play back = 7.2 seconds of play back time at normal viewing speed.

Does anyone else smell something fishy here?

The plot thickens.


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copied from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15916045

Sofitel hotel group denies Strauss-Kahn CCTV film claim

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Paris (October 2011)
A criminal case against Mr Strauss-Kahn was dropped

28 November 2011

BBC

Sofitel hotel group denies Strauss-Kahn CCTV film claim
Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in Paris (October 2011) A criminal case against Mr Strauss-Kahn was dropped


A hotel group has rejected claims that a video showed two employees celebrating after police were called to investigate Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The allegations are made in a report in the New York Review of Books about the former IMF head's arrest in May.

According to the report, the New York Sofitel hotel's chief engineer and another man are seen clapping hands and dancing for three minutes.

The hotel group said the film lasted eight seconds and there was "no dance".

Mr Strauss-Kahn's arrest followed allegations of assault made by hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo.

The criminal case against him was dropped by prosecutors who said she had lied about details in the allegations. She has continued to pursue a civil case.

The scandal led not only to Mr Strauss-Kahn's resignation from the International Monetary Fund but also to the end of his hopes of running for the French presidency next year.

'Grotesque'

The latest allegations, made by US journalist Edward Jay Epstein, have revived suggestions from some supporters of the former IMF managing director that he was the victim of a plot.

Mr Epstein also quotes unnamed sources close to Mr Strauss-Kahn as saying he had been warned in a text message on the day of his arrest that an email he sent to his wife from his BlackBerry had been read in the offices of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party in Paris.

UMP party leader Jean-Francois Cope dismissed claims of a plot on Sunday as "grotesque".

In researching the article, Mr Epstein looked at the hotel's electronic key records, CCTV footage and phone records dating back to 14 May 2011.
The Sofitel hotel, New York Sofitel insisted the CCTV footage lasted only eight seconds

He alleges that one hour after Nafissatou Diallo informed hotel staff of the alleged assault, a call was made to police.

Less than two minutes later, according to Mr Epstein's account, two men who had just been with Ms Diallo "high-five each other, clap their hands, and do what looks like an extraordinary dance of celebration that lasts for three minutes".

In a statement, Sofitel insists there was no "celebratory dance" and "in reality, these facts lasted eight seconds" and adds that the two employees "categorically denied this exchange had any link whatsoever with Mr Strauss-Kahn".

Speaking on French radio on Monday, the head of security for Sofitel's parent group, Accor, at the time of the incident argued that no conclusions could be drawn on the basis of eight seconds of video.

"Nothing says that they congratulated each other after hearing a woman say she'd just been sexually assaulted," Rene-Georges Querry told Europe1.

Mr Epstein has responded to Sofitel, suggesting that he would be prepared to release the content of the video as soon as he is given the go-ahead by his sources, possibly on Tuesday.

[John.hergy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15984207

Strauss-Kahn says sex with maid was 'stupid', book says
1 December 2011
BBC


Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn believes his sexual encounter with a New York hotel maid was "consensual but stupid", according to a new book.

The book, by Mr Strauss-Kahn's biographer, says it gives his account of what happened in May, after which the maid accused him of attempted rape.

The book says Nafissatou Diallo gave Mr Strauss-Kahn a "suggestive look" as he emerged naked from the shower, and he took it as "an invitation".

The maid's lawyers rejected the claim.

The criminal case against Mr Strauss-Kahn was later dropped by prosecutors who said Ms Diallo, 32, had lied about details in the allegations. However, she has continued to pursue a civil case.
'Complete fantasy'

The new book "Affaires DSK: The Second Inquiry" by French journalist Michel Taubmann went on sale on Thursday.

The book is believed to be the first detailed public account by the former boss of the International Monetary Fund about what happened in the Sofitel Hotel on 14 May.

According to the book, Ms Diallo entered Mr Strauss-Kahn's hotel room as he was leaving his bathroom naked. The maid looked at him suggestively, and he took it as an invitation.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, later described the six-minute sexual encounter as "consensual but stupid", because the scandal led not only to his resignation from the IMF but also to the end of his hopes of running for the French presidency next year.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, the book alleges, also believes the maid was part of a conspiracy to smear him ahead of the elections and he insinuates that she may have stolen his IMF-issued Blackberry phone as she left the room.

Mr Taubmann says his book is based on six interviews with Mr Strauss-Kahn and also investigations.

Mr Strauss-Kahn has so far not publicly commented on the book.
'Swingers' nights'

However, Ms Diallo's lawyers immediately hit back at Mr Taubmann, describing his claims as "absurd" and "complete fantasy".

"We look forward to questioning him (Mr Strauss-Kahn) at trial about the sick and deranged acts he committed against Ms Diallo," the lawyers said in a statement, referring to the civil case.

In recent months, there has been plenty written about Mr Strauss-Kahn's connections to a prostitution ring in France, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris reports.

He denies any knowledge that the women he met were paid, our correspondent says.

However, he admitted that he had participated in swingers' nights.

The book will undoubtedly attract attention in France and might also fuel allegations of conspiracy, but it will not resurrect Mr Strauss-Kahn's political career, our correspondent says.