【英语国际】卡恩因卷入卖淫团伙案被法国警方拘留讯问

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was taken into custody for questioning in relation to an alleged prostitution ring that operated out of the northern French city of Lille and reached as far as Washington, putting the onetime French presidential hopeful back into a harsh international spotlight.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn presented himself at the police station at 9 a.m. Tuesday, said a spokeswoman at the Lille prosecutor's office. He is being questioned with regard to an investigation for 'complicity in a prostitution network' and 'aiding and abetting in the misappropriation of company assets,' she said.

The 62-year-old former IMF chief hasn't been charged, and the Lille prosecutor's office says he can be held for questioning for up to 48 hours, with possible renewal for a second 48-hour period. As of late Tuesday, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was still in custody, suggesting prosecutors want to question him further. Among the possible outcomes, Mr. Strauss-Kahn could be cleared and perhaps considered a witness in the case. Or he could face preliminary charges. Under the latter scenario, prosecutors say he could be released with or without bail, or remanded in custody.

The detention is part of an investigation French police are conducting into the alleged prostitution ring. Preliminary charges have been brought against eight people, including a police commissioner and a former regional head of a French company, who was allegedly filing expense reports to cover the costs of the alleged ring. Prosecutors say preliminary charges have been brought against all of them for involvement in a prostitution network.

The latest case of possible sexual misconduct marks another embarrassment for Mr. Strauss-Kahn, whose high-flying French presidential ambitions were dashed by his arrest in May on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel maid at New York's Sofitel Hotel. He resigned his IMF post shortly afterward.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn returned to France in early September 2011 after the charges against him in New York were dropped when New York prosecutors said they couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the former IMF chief had attacked the maid, Nafissatou Diallo. Mr. Strauss-Kahn has admitted to a 'moral failing' in his interaction with Ms. Diallo but has denied he raped or assaulted her.

According to French news reports, Mr. Strauss-Kahn allegedly was invited to parties by the prostitution ring that took place in Paris as well as in Washington─with the last one taking place in the U.S. capital just days before Mr. Strauss-Kahn's ill-fated trip to New York. The reports allege the expenses were covered by the prostitution ring.

A person familiar with the matter confirmed that 'prostitutes were brought from France for these parties,' saying there were at least 'three trips to the U.S. which were for orgies.' The person said the 'last trip was just before the Sofitel case.'

Paying prostitutes isn't illegal in France, but encouraging prostitution by offering them to others and using corporate funds to pay for them is.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have stated repeatedly their client wished to be heard by Lille prosecutors 'as quickly as possible,' saying they wanted to put an end to a 'press lynching.' His lawyers weren't available for comment Tuesday.

In a colorful exchange in a recent radio interview, one of Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers, Henri Leclerc, said the former IMF chief wasn't aware that the women at these parties were prostitutes. 'He could well have not realized it, because you see, in these parties, one is not necessarily clothed and I challenge you to tell a naked prostitute from a naked worldly woman,' Mr. Leclerc told Europe 1 radio.

Lawyers say it isn't likely that Mr. Strauss-Kahn would face prosecution in the U.S. for soliciting prostitution, even if the French allegations prove to be true. Prosecutors in the U.S. typically pursue cases against the employees or owners of prostitution rings, rather than their customers, the lawyers said.

Shortly after his return from New York, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was questioned by French police as part of a separate probe into sexual-assault accusations made by a French novelist against the politician. In October, French prosecutors dismissed the complaint filed by novelist Tristane Banon, saying the three-year statute of limitations on sexual assault had lapsed.

The French Socialist party has distanced itself from Mr. Strauss-Kahn. After the initial disbelief that followed his New York arrest, and early demands for deeper investigations, his closest allies within the party rallied other contenders in the October party primaries and backed François Hollande as the candidate. Pierre Moscovici, who had been regarded as Mr. Strauss-Kahn's lieutenant within the Socialist party, is now managing Mr. Hollande's election campaign.

NADYA MASIDLOVER

前国际货币基金组织(IMF)总裁卡恩(Dominique Strauss-Kahn)因涉嫌与一个被指为卖淫团伙的组织有染而被警方拘留讯问，这位昔日的法国总统热门人选再次因丑闻受到国际关注。该团伙大本营在法国北部城市里尔(Lille)，卖淫网络最远可达华盛顿。

European Pressphoto Agency周二，前IMF总裁卡恩乘车来到法国北部城市里尔接受警方讯问。里尔检察官办公室一名发言人说，卡恩周二早上九点抵达警察局。她说，警方将就一项针对“与卖淫团伙合谋”和“协助及教唆挪用公司资产”的调查对卡恩进行讯问。

现年62岁的卡恩尚未受到指控，里尔检察官办公室说，他最长可被拘留讯问48小时，如有需要，还可延长48小时。截至周二晚间，卡恩仍在警方拘留中，这意味着检方希望对他进行进一步的讯问。一个可能的结果是，卡恩可能被证明是清白的，或许将作为该案的证人。还有一种可能是他将面临初步指控。检方说，若他受到初步指控，则可能被保释或无保释放，或被还押候审。

拘留卡恩是法国警方对一个被指为卖淫团伙的组织进行的调查的一部分。此案已有八人受到初步指控，包括一名警察局长和一家法国公司的前地区主管。这名主管涉嫌伪造费用报告，以掩盖卖淫团伙的费用。检方说，这八人均因参与卖淫团伙活动而受到了初步指控。

这桩可能的性丑闻案令卡恩再次蒙羞。去年5月，他被控在纽约市索菲特酒店(Sofitel Hotel)性侵犯一位酒店女服务员而被捕，他竞选法国总统的宏图大志也随之破灭。在那之后不久，他辞去了IMF总裁一职。

去年，纽约检方说，不能在没有合理疑问情况下证明卡恩曾侵犯过酒店女服务员迪亚洛(Nafissatou Diallo)，对卡恩的指控因此被撤销。随后，卡恩在2011年9月初回到法国。卡恩承认在与迪亚洛的接触过程中曾有不道德行为，但否认曾强暴或性侵犯过她。

法国新闻媒体报道称，卡恩据说受邀数次参加了这个卖淫团伙在巴黎和华盛顿举行的派对，其中最后一次派对在美国首都华盛顿举行，时间是卡恩前往纽约那趟倒霉之旅的前几天。这些报道称，相关费用由这个卖淫团伙支付。

一位知情人士证实说，妓女是从法国带来的，目的就是参加这些派对，她们为参加这些纵欲狂欢的派对至少去过三次美国。这个人说，最后一次就发生在索菲特案之前。

付费嫖妓在法国并不违法，但把妓女介绍给他人并利用公司资金为这些人支付嫖妓费用从而鼓励嫖妓行为则是违法的。

卡恩的律师们一再表示，他们的当事人希望尽快接受里尔检方的讯问，并说他们希望终结这一“媒体私刑”。周二无法联系到卡恩的律师置评。

卡恩的律师之一勒克莱尔(Henri Leclerc)前不久接受法国电台欧洲一台(Europe 1 radio)的采访时说，卡恩当时并不知道派对上的这些女人是妓女。勒克莱尔说，他很可能并没有意识到这一点，因为你们知道，在这些派对上，人们不一定穿着衣服；我敢说在一群裸体女人当中，你也不一定能分清哪些是妓女，哪些不是。

律师们说，即使法国方面提出的指控经证明确凿无误，卡恩也不太可能因招妓而在美国受到起诉。这些律师说，美国检方一般追查的是卖淫集团的雇员或所有者，而不是客户。

从纽约回国后不久，卡恩便受到法国警方的讯问，这是为另一桩法国小说家巴农(Tristane Banon)指控卡恩性侵案所做调查的一部分。去年10月，法国检方驳回了巴农的起诉申请，理由是性侵犯案的诉讼时效为三年，而巴农的起诉超过了诉讼时效。

法国社会党(French Socialist party)一直与卡恩保持着距离。卡恩在纽约被捕后，该党最初是怀疑他，进而要求展开深入调查。此后，卡恩最亲密的党内“战友”在去年10月法国社会党举行总统选举党内初选时，团结其他竞选者，支持奥朗德(Francois Hollande)成为候选人。一直被认为是卡恩在社会党内坚定支持者的莫斯科维奇(Pierre Moscovici)目前是奥朗德的总统竞选团队主管。

NADYA MASIDLOVER

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