Who is Dominique Strauss Kahn?

Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (Born 25 April 1949), often referred to in the media as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, and politician, and a member of the Socialist Party of France (PS). A former Communist, Strauss-Kahn became the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 28 September 2007, with the backing of his country’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy.

He is a full professor of economics at the Paris Institute for Political Studies (“Sciences Po”). Strauss-Kahn was Minister of Economy and Finance from 1997 to 1999 as part of Lionel Jospin’s “Plural Left” government. He belongs to the right wing of the PS (which is on the center-left of French politics) and sought the nomination in the primaries to the Socialist presidential candidacy for the 2007 election, but he was defeated by Ségolène Royal in November 2006.

In May 2011, Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York City and charged with sexual assault, forcible confinement, and attempted rape of a maid who was cleaning his hotel room. He was refused bail and remanded to jail, with his next court appearance scheduled for 20 May. Strauss-Kahn did not enter a plea during the proceedings, although his lawyer has said he denies all charges.