New York maid's lawyer supports Banon

AFP - The lawyer for the New York hotel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault said Monday he supported a French journalist who is accusing the former IMF chief of similar charges.

"Yes, I support Tristane Banon," Kenneth Thompson told AFP in an email, offering his backing to the French journalist who has vowed to bring legal action this week accusing the leading French politician of attempted rape.

Strauss-Kahn, who was released from house arrest Friday after US prosecutors raised grave concerns about his New York accuser's credibility, said Monday he intended to sue Banon for slander over the French accusation.

The ex-chief of the International Monetary Fund said in a statement that Banon's complaint "comes at a time when the untruthful nature of the accusations he faces in the United States are no longer in any doubt."

But the US charges of sexual assault and attempted rape against Strauss-Kahn, made by a Guinean chamber maid, have not yet been dismissed and he is due back in court July 18.