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Former IMF chief faces French verdict in pimping trial

FILE, this Feb. 11, 2015 file image shows former Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss Kahn leaving his hotel in Lille, northern France, as he goes on trial for sex charges at a court. Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces a verdict Friday in the last of a string of legal cases that started when a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in 2011. The onetime presidential contender and former International Monetary Fund chief is accused of aggravated pimping in a prostitution trial in the French city of Lille, but he may well be acquitted for lack of evidence of a crime. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File) FILE, this Feb. 11, 2015 file image shows former Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss Kahn leaving his hotel in Lille, northern France, as he goes on trial for sex charges at a court. Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces a verdict Friday in the last of a string of legal cases that started when a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in 2011. The onetime presidential contender and former International Monetary Fund chief is accused of aggravated pimping in a prostitution trial in the French city of Lille, but he may well be acquitted for lack of evidence of a crime. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

By Associated Press June 12, 2015 1 min read

PARIS (AP) – A verdict in the pimping trial of former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn hinges on sex parties that took place during the global financial crisis.

Friday’s verdict could bring a close to four years of legal drama. Strauss-Khan has told the court the parties were much-needed “recreational sessions.” The women who participated, however, were prostitutes – and testified that they weren’t having fun at all.

The court in Lille decides Friday whether to convict Strauss-Kahn of charges of “aggravated pimping.” Many expect him to be acquitted, citing limited evidence pointing to a punishable crime.

Allegations against Strauss-Kahn started when a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in 2011. That case was settled out of court.