Strauss-Kahn Case

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case Reportedly Near Collapse

By JENNIFER PELTZ and TOM HAYS 07/ 1/11 02:14 AM ET

NEW YORK -- A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the accuser in the New York City sex assault case against a former International Monetary Fund leader has lied about circumstances surrounding the alleged attack.

The official also says prosecutors also believe Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser has lied about her background. The official is speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public in court.

The official says prosecutors believe the hotel housekeeper lied about various details on her application for asylum in the U.S., including a claim that she had been raped in her native Guinea.

The official says prosecutors also believe she lied about some of her activities in the hours surrounding the alleged attack, but they haven't necessarily questioned her account about the incident itself.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Prosecutors have serious questions about the credibility of a hotel housekeeper who has accused former International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn of raping her, and they are taking the extraordinary step of seeking a substantial reduction in his pricey bail, a person familiar with the case said Thursday.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public in court, told The Associated Press that prosecutors have raised issues about the accuser's credibility in the case against Strauss-Kahn, but would not elaborate on what those issues were.

A separate law enforcement official who is familiar with the case, but not authorized to speak about it publicly, told the AP that the issue was not necessarily about the rape accusation itself, but about troubling questions surrounding the alleged victim's background that could damage her credibility on the witness stand. The official refused to elaborate.

The New York Police Department, which investigated the case, declined comment. The woman's lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.