The scandal over attempted rape charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn deepened Wednesday after the mother of one of his accusers revealed she had herself previously had sex with him. Anne Mansouret, an elected official in Strauss-Kahn’s Socialist party, was quoted by several French media talking of a sexual encounter with him in 2000 in an office of the OECD economic body where he worked at the time. It was first reported by weekly news magazine L’Express, which said she declared it last week during questioning by detectives investigating accusations of attempted rape brought by Mansouret’s daughter, Tristan Banon. Mansouret, 65, confirmed in Wednesday’s edition of the daily Liberation there was an incident in the OECD office but declined to give details and said it had only happened once. Banon accuses Strauss-Kahn of trying to rape her in 2003 as she tried to interview him for a book. Mansouret has admitted she discouraged her daughter from bringing charges for fear Banon’s journalism career would suffer. Strauss-Kahn has dismissed the alleged attack as “imaginary”. He is in New York pending charges of sexually assaulting and trying to rape a hotel maid there. Prosecutors have admitted doubts about his accuser in that case, raising the prospect that the charges could be dropped.
