Strauss-Kahn French rape case dismissed Officials say evidence suggested sexual assault against writer in 2003 by ex-IMF chief but it is too late to prosecute.

Srauss-Kahn had denied Tristane Banon's claim that he attempted to rape her during a book interview in 2003 [AFP]

The Paris prosecutor's office has dropped an investigation into a French writer's claim that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), tried to rape her for lack of sufficient evidence.
The office said on Thursday that Strauss-Kahn admitted to sexual aggression against Tristane Banon and that evidence existed suggesting that a sexual assault had taken place, but that it was too late to prosecute.
In France, charges of sexual assault carry a shorter statute of limitations than attempted rape.
Banon alleges that Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her in 2003 during an interview for a book. Strauss-Kahn has denied the claim.
Strauss-Kahn quit his job as head of the IMF after a New York hotel maid accused him of attempted rape earlier this year. Prosecutors later dropped that case.