Ex-IMF chief Strauss-Kahn pleads not guilty

The 62-year-old Frenchman is accused of assaulting a maid at the Manhattan hotel where he was staying on 14 May.

The complainant's lawyer said outside court she "just wants justice".

Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer said there had been "no element of compulsion" in the incident between the two parties.

His next court date is set for 18 July.

The former finance chief - who faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty - arrived at New York Supreme Court on Monday with his wife, the French television journalist Anne Sinclair.

A group of hotel workers shouted, "Shame on you!", in a show of solidarity with the maid who accuses him of attacking her.

She has not been idenitifed, but is known to be a 32-year-old single mother and immigrant worker from the West African country of Guinea.

The accused spoke in a firm voice only twice: to enter his plea, and to confirm his next appearance.

Defence lawyer Ben Brafman said outside court after the brief hearing: "It will be clear that there was no element of forcible compulsion in this case whatsoever.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is simply not credible."

Mr Brafman has defended a string of high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson.

The complainant's lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, said outside court: "It was a terrible sex assault on an innocent woman. She's going to come to the court house.

"She's going to tell the truth. What she wants is justice. She is a woman of dignity and respect. She's not courting publicity."

Monday's formal plea before Judge Michael Obus sets the stage for a lengthy trial process, which is likely to start in the autumn; Kazinform cites BBC News.