MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

IMF chief denied bail remains in custody in New York

Strauss Kahn handcuffed in a Manhattan court

IMF Dominique Straus-Kahn, accused of attempting to rape a hotel housekeeper, was ordered held without bail by a New York judge after prosecutors argued he presented a flight risk.

Strauss-Kahn appeared in Manhattan criminal court Monday, two days after he was taken into custody aboard an Air France flight at John F Kennedy International airport as it prepared to depart. Prosecutors asked Judge Melissa Jackson that he be held in custody until trial. Strauss-Kahn faces as long as 25 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges, prosecutors said.

“He has almost no incentive to stay in this country,” Assistant District Attorney Artie McConnell told Jackson at the hearing in a packed courtroom in lower Manhattan. “He has an extensive network of contacts throughout the world.” The judge agreed, saying Strauss-Kahn's presence at JFK airport on the day of the attack “raises concerns.”

The IMF chief is charged with criminal sexual act in the first degree; attempted rape in the first degree; sexual abuse in the first degree; unlawful imprisonment in the second degree; sexual abuse in the third degree, and forcible touching, according to court papers.

A potential candidate for the French presidency, Strauss-Kahn, 62, has denied the charges and will plead not guilty, his lawyer Benjamin Brafman has said.

Brafman asked the judge to let his client stay with his daughter in New York while awaiting trial. Brafman said Strauss- Kahn’s wife, television journalist Anne Sinclair, was flying to New York today. His next court appearance was set for May 20.

Brafman said his client's flight had been booked in advance and he was on his way to see the chancellor of Germany. After the hearing, Brafman told hundreds of reporters gathered at the courthouse that he would appeal the bail decision.

The alleged attack on a 32-year-old woman at a Sofitel hotel in midtown Manhattan occurred May 14, according to the New York Police Department. Strauss-Kahn was picked out of a line-up by the maid, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, Strauss-Kahn “engaged in oral sexual conduct and anal sexual conduct with another person by forcible compulsion.” He allegedly closed the door of the room to keep the woman from leaving, grabbed her breasts and tried to pull down her pantyhose, according to court papers.

“The victim provided a very powerful and detailed account,” McConnell told the judge. He said results aren’t back yet from the crime scene unit’s processing of the hotel room.

Every seat in the courtroom was full and reporters stood waiting in the back as the judge dealt with public urination and drug-possession cases before calling Strauss-Kahn.

The arraignment had been scheduled for Sunday and was delayed after investigators sought a warrant for a physical examination. Strauss-Kahn gave police permission to examine him for physical evidence of scratches and DNA from his accuser, according to Brafman.