Strauss-Kahn accuses Sarkozy of 'orchestrating' hotel maid sex scandal

Paris, Apr 28 (ANI): Shamed former International Monitory Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has accused political allies linked to French President Nicolas Sarkozy of orchestrating the New York hotel maid sex scandal to prevent him from running for the presidency.

Strauss-Kahn said figures close to Sarkozy and his ruling UMP party choreographed the fallout of the scandal, following accusations he assaulted Sofitel housekeeper maid Nafissatou Diallo.

He said that while he did not believe his encounter with Diallo was a set-up, he believes his arrest on May 14 and the highly public criminal investigation that ended his presidential bid was 'shaped by those with a political agenda'.

During an interview with The Guardian, Strauss-Kahn alleged that he was put under surveillance by French intelligence weeks before he was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting Diallo.

He accused operatives linked to Sarkozy of intercepting phone calls and making sure Diallo went to the New York police, thus sparking an international scandal.

"Perhaps I was politically naive, but I simply did not believe that they would go that far ... I didn't think they could find anything that could stop me," the paper quoted Strauss-Kahn, as saying.

Strauss-Kahn's claims emerge days before the final round of the presidential election, which until his downfall last year he had been tipped to win.

The vote will be held on 6 May, with polls showing the Socialist Francois Hollande beating the rightwing incumbent Sarkozy. (ANI)