The hotel maid who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape says she has cried every day since the alleged attack.
Nafissatou Diallo gave an emotional news conference in New York, saying she and her daughter are traumatised by the events of the past few months.
The 32-year-old Guinean immigrant, who claims the former IMF chief tried to rape her when she attempted to clean his hotel room, said: “We cry every day. We can’t sleep.”
She thanked her supporters, and said: “What happened to me I don’t want it to happen to any other woman.”
Her lawyer Kenneth Thompson also confirmed he will file a civil suit seeking damages “soon” if prosecutors do not press criminal charges.
He said: “What she wants is justice and if the prosecutors are not going to bring this case to trial then we have to look for justice … what I look forward to is putting this case before a jury.”
The news conference follows a series of revelations that have damaged Ms Diallo’s case.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office released a report expressing concern about her credibility.
They said she had lied about the detail of what happened to her after the alleged assault in the Sofitel Hotel, and that she had misled prosecutors over a previous sexual assault and the circumstances of her asylum application.
Since then, there have been unsubstantiated reports that Ms Diallo has worked as a prostitute.
Prosecutors also reportedly leaked the details of a taped phone conversation between the hotel maid and a friend, who was in prison at the time, during which she is said to have commented on the benefits of going after DSK for his money.
Lawyer Kenneth Thompson and Ms Diallo have strenuously denied this, and have insisted the conversation was incorrectly translated.
Ms Diallo said: “A lot of the things they say about me is not true and they say a lot of bad things about me.”
The press conference is the latest in a series of media events aimed at fighting back against these allegations.
On Sunday, in interviews with Newsweek magazine and ABC television news, Ms Diallo said she wanted justice to be done, claiming the French politician had acted like a “crazy man”.
Mr Thompson told the packed New York press conference his client has been called a “con artist” but she was in fact a hard working single mother, living in the Bronx, and striving to bring up her teenage daughter.
He said that “credibility is not the only factor” in the case, making the point that a Grand Jury had already looked at all the evidence and decided it was enough to send the case to trial.
Mr Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers had no comment on the events. Their client has denied attempted rape and other crimes.
He faces seven counts in total, including attempted rape, sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment.
If convicted, he could be sent to jail for up to 25 years. He is due in court on August 23.
It has been reported that the District Attorney’s office is considering whether or not they can continue with the case against him.
Source : Orange News
