Dominique Strauss-Kahn was ‘king of the party’ at sex soirées, claim French investigators

Disgraced former IMF chief has been charged with ‘aggravated pimping’, along with 12 other people

Strauss-Kahn has been accused of 'a material act of pimping' (Getty Images)

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, disgraced former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was the “linchpin” and “party king” of an illicit prostitute ring, according to a leaked report by French investigators.

The report appears to demolish Mr Strauss-Kahn’s defence that he was unaware that the women at the orgies were prostitutes. It detailed the extent to which he had allegedly been involved in the organisation of the sex parties, which took place at luxury hotels in Lille, Paris and Washington while he was still IMF chief.

“These evenings were never organised without him, and when they were, it was as much because of his presence in town [Paris, Washington…] as because of his schedule,” said the report obtained by Le Figaro.

He has been charged with “aggravated pimping”, along with 12 others, for his role in the scandal known as the “Carlton affair”, named after one of the Lille hotels where the alleged orgies took place. The report, which summarises the prosecution’s case before the trial expected next year, mentioned that phone text messages between Mr Strauss-Kahn and the other accused confirmed his organisational role.

The magistrates’ report accuses Mr Strauss-Kahn, pictured, of “a material act of pimping” by making available apartments which he rented directly or indirectly for the sex parties. In France, prostitution is legal, but earning money from other people prostituting themselves is not.

The IMF chief sought to conceal his illicit activities by referring to the call girls as “delegation of friends” and “gift”, according to the report, which said that he tried to cover up evidence from magistrates as the investigation proceeded in 2011.

The report also contains troubling details about the brutal nature of the frenzied sex parties. One young woman, quoted by the report, described “carnage with mattresses piled on the floor”. The magistrates say the evenings could not be described as “libertinage”, which is how Mr Strauss-Kahn originally described them, more as a “slaughter” and a “purchase order for services”.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 64, did not comment on the report. He resigned from the IMF in May 2011 after being accused of sexually assaulting a Sofitel hotel chambermaid in New York, but the charges were eventually dropped and Mr Strauss-Kahn settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, who is known in France by his initials, DSK, was once considered the Socialist party’s best chance in the last presidential election. He has been in the political wilderness since the Sofitel affair but in recent weeks has made a timid comeback as an economics adviser.

Last week, he acknowledged in an interview with Russian television that his political career was “over”.

If Mr Strauss-Kahn is found guilty of the aggravated-pimping charges, he faces a maximum 10 years in jail and a fine of up to €1.5m.