Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned on Thursday as head of the International Monetary Fund, saying he did so with “infinite sadness” but must focus entirely on clearing his name of sexual assault charges. The move came as lawyers for Strauss-Kahn prepared to enter a new bail petition on Thursday to free him from jail and his resignation promised to kick off an IMF leadership succession battle between emerging economies and Western nations that have long dominated the world body.
The resignation came just hours before a hearing on his new request for bail, but an attorney for the alleged attack victim said the woman is distraught at the thought of Strauss-Kahn going free and is concerned for her safety. “I want to protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially – especially – I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence,” Strauss-Kahn said. “I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me.”
In his statement Strauss-Kahn paid tribute to his American-born wife, journalist Anne Sinclair, who he said he loved more than anything, and said it was “with “infinite sadness that I feel compelled today to present… my resignation”. Strauss-Kahn, a leading French politician, is behind bars awaiting a grand jury decision on whether to indict him on charges of sexual assault and the attempted rape of a 32-year-old Manhattan hotel chambermaid.
His lawyers were expected to tout his wife’s American credentials before a judge later Thursday in a fresh bid to free him from the tough Rikers Island jail, where he spent his third night in isolation and on suicide watch.