Strauss-Kahn bids IMF staff farewell

IMF staff during his first visit to the agency since his resignation in May.
Strauss-Kahn (62) conferred with managing director Christine Largade in Washington yesterday a week after sexual assault charges against him were dismissed and later met with employees, according to IMF spokesman William Murray. He was treated to sustained applause, said Paulo Nogueira Batista, Brazil’s representative to the IMF’s board of directors.
“The mood was emotional and very welcoming, very warm,” Nogueira Batista told reporters after the meeting.
“He was a great managing director and he had to be honoured.” He declined to comment on the content of Strauss-Kahn’s speech.
Strauss-Kahn, once considered a leading contender to win the French presidency next year, helped restore the IMF’s relevance and reshape its mission while obtaining a tripling of its resources during his three and a half years in the top job.
His May 14 arrest and his resignation a few days later sent the IMF reeling just as the European debt crisis was worsening.
The meeting with Strauss-Kahn, who was accompanied by his wife, Anne Sinclair, was attended by a cross- section of employees, from senior management to secretaries. Many, including women, waited to shake his hand and have photos taken with him, according to two people who attended and spoke on condition they not be named because they weren’t authorised to discuss the gathering.
During a speech that lasted about 10 minutes, Strauss-Kahn apologised for the impact of his legal woes on the institution and its staff and said his tenure as managing director was among the most rewarding periods of his professional career, the people said.
He praised Lagarde’s call, delivered in an August 27 speech, for an “urgent” and potentially mandatory recapitalisation of European banks, the people said.
Her suggestion yesterday was rebuffed by Germany and Spain. He also expressed concern about the state of the world economy. A New York State Supreme Court Justice last week granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jnr’s request to dismiss the indictment against Strauss-Kahn after Vance’s office concluded that his accuser had lied about events surrounding the alleged May 14 attack, as well as about key details of her life.
Strauss-Kahn still faces a lawsuit by his accuser and remains the subject of a French rape investigation.- Bloomberg.