Bail from jail for ex-IMF chief Strauss-Kahn

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been granted bail by a New York court and is expected to leave the notorious Rikers Island jail where he has spent the last six nights for a Manhattan apartment under 24-hour armed guard. 

REUTERS/Richard Drew

US prosecutors opposed bail for Strauss-Kahn, who is accused of the sexual assault of a hotel chambermaid, claiming he was a desperate man ‘with a propensity for impulsive criminal conduct”.

But the judge ruled he could leave jail for bail of 700,000 euros and a 3,5m euro insurance bond. He will also wear an electronic bracelet while he awaits trail.

During the court hearing, Strauss-Kahn exchanged looks with his wife, American-born Anne Sinclair and his daughter Camille, who were sitting in the front row of the court. In his letter of resignation on Thursday, Strauss-Kahn said he loved Sinclair “more than anything”.

Following the accusation against its former chief, the IMF has introduced a new official code of conduct .

The new ethics rules set guidelines on workplace relationships and sexual harassment and were approved on 6 May, but only publicised on Thursday for reasons that have not been made clear.