City Room: Prosecutor Files to Drop Charges in Strauss-Kahn Case

Updated, 4:48 p.m. | Prosecutors in the office of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan <a href="http://www.cheapcigarettesonlineoutlet.com/"><strong>cigarettes coupons online</strong></a> district attorney, have filed papers requesting that all charges be dropped against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund.The papers, known as a recommendation for dismissal, were filed at 3:20 p.m. Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, where the case is being heard by Justice Michael J. Obus."The nature and number of the complainant’s falsehoods leave us unable to credit her version of events beyond a reasonable doubt, whatever the truth may be about the encounter between the complainant and the defendant,” the papers state. “If we do not believe her beyond a reasonable doubt, we cannot ask a jury to do so."At about the same time as the papers were filed, the lawyer for Nafissatou Diallo, the hotel housekeeper who accused Mr. Strauss-Kahn of ######ual assault, emerged from a brief meeting with prosecutors to offer harsh criticism of Mr. Vance."The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, has denied the right of a woman to get justice in a rape case,” the lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, said. “He has not only turned his back on this victim but he has also turned his back on the forensic, medical and other physical evidence in this case. If the Manhattan district attorney, who is elected to protect our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our wives and our loved ones, is not going to stand up for them when they're raped or ######ually assaulted, who will?"Ms. Diallo stood by his side, but said nothing.In an interview, Mr. Thompson said the meeting with prosecutors lasted no more than 30 seconds. Mr. Thompson said that he and Ms. Diallo entered a conference room where the three main prosecutors on the case, Artie McConnell, Joan Illuzzi-Orbon and Ann Prunty, sat.According to Mr. Thompson, when he and Ms. Diallo sat down, Ms. Illuzzi-Orbon said something to the effect of: "Nafi, we're going to dismiss the case. You have lied to us repeatedly We can't win the case."Mr. Thompson said he asked Ms. Illuzzi-Orbon what she was talking about and that Ms. Diallo asked how she lied. As Ms. Diallo was trying to ask questions, Mr. Thompson said, the three prosecutors stood up and walked out of the room without answering."The meeting lasted no more than 30 seconds; it was probably 20 seconds," Mr. Thompson said. "It was disrespectful, it was absolutely disrespectful. They didn't have the common courtesy to answer one question that the victim posed."Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, William W. Taylor III and Benjamin Brafman, issued a statement saying, “We have maintained from the beginning of this case that our client is innocent.”The statement continued: “We also maintained that there were many reasons to believe that Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s accuser was not credible. Mr. Strauss-Kahn and his family are grateful that the district attorney’s office took our concerns seriously and concluded on its own that this case cannot proceed further. We look forward to attending the hearing on Tuesday.”But a footnote in the papers filed by prosecutors says that the recommendation for dismissal “does not purport to make factual findings.” It continues: “Rather, we simply no longer have confidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty."A chaotic scene unfolded outside the Louis J. Lefkowitz State Office <a href="http://www.cheapcigarettesonlineoutlet.com/newport-c-78"><strong>Newport 100s smoking</strong></a> Building, where the meeting between Ms. Diallo’s team and prosecutors took place, with reporters and onlookers lining both sides of Centre Street.Noel Leader, the head of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, denounced Mr. Vance, calling his office "dysfunctional.""We are outraged that Cyrus Vance has abdicated his responsibility to the people of the state of New York," he said, saying that prosecutors should have allowed a jury to determine whether Ms. Diallo was credible.Ms. Diallo had not met with prosecutors in nearly a month. The last time was July 27, when she went to their office to listen to recordings of telephone conversations she had with a man in an Arizona jail. Prosecutors have said that the recordings showed that Ms. Diallo was talking about exploiting Mr. Strauss-Kahn's wealth. But Mr. Thompson has maintained that his client never raised the subject of getting money from Mr. Strauss-Kahn during the conversations, in which Ms. Diallo and the man spoke in Fulani, a language of Ms. Diallo's native Guinea.The difference in opinion over the substance of the conversation was just one of many points of contention between Mr. Thompson and the district attorney's office. Their relationship had deteriorated since prosecutors said in late June that they believed Ms. Diallo had lied to them on several points pertaining to her personal life and background.Prosecutors have said Ms. Diallo lied about her past in Guinea on her asylum application, and that in an interview, she told them a false story about being gang-raped in her native country.Mr. Thompson had urged prosecutors to press forward with the criminal case, arguing that physical evidence and other factors outweighed his client's credibility problems. Ms. Diallo has said that Mr. Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her and then forced her to perform oral ###### when she went to clean his suite at the Sofitel New York in mid-May.Reaction in France to the news on Monday was mixed, with most expressing pleasure with Mr. Vance’s decision but <a href="http://www.cheapcigarettesonlineoutlet.com/555-cigarettes-c-68"><strong>555 Cigarette online sales</strong></a> noting that Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s reputation has been damaged, especially among women voters.Mr. Strauss-Kahn faces another rape investigation in France brought by a writer, Tristane Banon, who claims he attempted to rape her in 2003. French prosecutors are investigating the charge, which may be hard to prove given the age of the case and the presumed lack of material evidence. Steven Erlanger contributed reporting from Paris.