IMF Chief Told Police He Had Diplomatic Immunity, Decided Not to Talk After Lawyer Call

The former chief of the International Monetary Fund initially told police he had diplomatic immunity when he was arrested on suspicion of sexual assaulting a hotel maid last month, prosecutors say.

Later, after speaking with his lawyer, Strauss-Kahn said he would have talked about the incident if the attorney hadn’t advised him to remain silent, the New York Times reports. Strauss-Kahn's alleged statements, made after he was arrested while trying to board a flight to Paris, were detailed in court documents filed by prosecutors, according to the Times and Reuters.

Strauss-Kahn appeared confused at the time of the arrest, the stories say. The Times interprets Strauss-Kahn’s question to detectives—“Do you have my cellphone?”—as an indication he believed they were hotel employees who had retrieved the device for him. Minutes later, he asked a police supervisor, “What is this about?” and repeated the question twice in the next 30 minutes.

About five hours later, Strauss-Kahn said he would like to call his lawyer, William Taylor of Zuckerman Spaeder in Washington, D.C. The prosecution documents include an exchange with a detective on legal rights. Strauss-Kahn asked about his need for a lawyer (the detective said he had a right to one), and, in an about face, asserted he wasn’t trying to use his diplomatic status.

After the lawyer call, Strauss-Kahn said: “My attorney has told me not to talk. I was ready to talk.”