Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director, officially resigned yesterday from his post at the IMF. In a letter to the board he writes:
To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me. I want to protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially—especially—I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence.”
Calls had intensified for the 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn to step down as head of the powerful IMF, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner saying Strauss-Kahn “is obviously not in a position to run” the agency.
Strauss-Kahn remained jailed under a suicide watch Wednesday. Because of his high profile, he was being held on Tuesday May 17, at Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail, in a section that normally houses prisoners with highly contagious diseases such as measles or tuberculosis. Corrections spokesman Stephen Morello said Strauss-Kahn has been placed in a wing with about 14 cells, all of them empty except for his.
Norman Seabrook, president of the correction officers union, said Strauss-Kahn did or said something during a mental health evaluation that concerned doctors, and he is being monitored day and night. However, a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the prisoner’s medical information, said Strauss-Kahn had not tried to harm himself.