Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn claimed diplomatic immunity and complained about being handcuffed as he was arrested for sexual assault in New York, official documents reveal.
Transcripts released by prosecutors in New York reveal the details of the day Strauss-Kahn was arrested at the city’s JFK airport.
He has since resigned from the IMF and is living on bail in New York.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault on a hotel chambermaid.
The transcripts detail how hotel staff and police investigators managed to detain Mr Strauss-Kahn as he attempted to leave the country on an Air France jet.
As has previously been reported, Strauss-Kahn phoned the Sofitel Hotel about 15:30 local time, saying he had left his mobile phone.
While police listened in, hotel promised to return it to him at the Air France terminal at JFK International Airport. Instead, police arrived to arrest him.
At the airport police station, detectives ordered Strauss-Kahn to empty his pockets, the documents show.
“Is that necessary?” he asked when handcuffs were produced.
“Yes it is,” said Detective Diwan Maharaj of the New York Port Authority Police.
Strauss-Kahn then asserted he had diplomatic immunity, and asked to speak to the French consulate.
Ten minutes later, Strauss-Kahn asked if he could be handcuffed “in the front”, and five minutes after that, he said, “I need to make a call and let them know I won’t be at my meeting tomorrow. These handcuffs are tight.”
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