The next court appearance for former International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been pushed back from Aug. 1 to Aug. 23, his lawyers said Tuesday.
Attorneys William W. Taylor and Benjamin Brafman issued a statement saying, “We have consented to a postponement of the status hearing before Judge (Michael) Obus from August 1 to August 23.”
“The hearing has been postponed to allow [the District Attorney’s office] to complete their investigation. Our hope and expectation is that once they do so, they will dismiss all charges,” Brafman said.
A statement from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance confirmed the postponement, adding, “The investigation into this pending criminal case is continuing. We will have no further comment.”
Strauss-Kahn, once considered a top candidate for the next president of France, has been charged in a seven-count indictment with sexually attacking a maid who arrived to clean his room at a luxury midtown hotel on May 14.
However, the DA’s office has acknowledged concerns about the woman’s credibility and Strauss-Kahn was released from house arrest July 1.
Earlier this week the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, 32, launched a media blitz, giving interviews to ABC and Newsweek, in which she graphically described the alleged assault by Strauss-Kahn.
His lawyers have suggested the sex was consensual.
Strauss-Kahn’s arrest as he prepared to depart on a flight for Paris generated headlines and debate around the world, cost him his job at the helm of the IMF and apparently dashed his hopes for a run at the French presidency.