LILLE (Web Desk) – An ex-prostitute nicknamed “Jade” took the stand in a French trial over a high-end prostitution ring that landed former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in court on charges of pimping.
The first part of the multi-faceted trial with 14 accused is focused on a prostitution ring allegedly run by the owners and a publicist for the luxury Carlton hotel in the northern city of Lille.
It was during a probe into the so-called “Carlton Affair” that investigators stumbled across the name of Strauss-Kahn, whose high-flying career and presidential prospects imploded when a New York hotel maid accused him of sexual assault in 2011.
Strauss-Kahn will not appear until he testifies next week, and witnesses are not allowed to refer to those not present, but the now-retired prostitute Jade made references to “a public figure” she met through the “Carlton” vice ring.
Sarfraz Ali
The writer works as an Editor of Digital Media for Daily Pakistan. He can be reached at sarfraz1168@gmail.com.
