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Dominique Strauss-Kahn Pays an Apologetic Visit to the IMF [Updated]

Having quit New York in anticipation of Irene, DSK spent part of Monday apologizing to his old colleagues in D.C. for the sex scandal. Accompanied by his ever-supportive wife, Anne Sinclair, he drove himself to the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund, where he had a short meeting with his replacement, Christine Lagarde. Later, he addressed an auditorium packed with hundreds of his former staff, many of whom periodically broke into applause over the course of his combination apology-final farewell:


He received a very warm welcome,” said Paulo Nogueira Batista, who represents Brazil and a group of eight Latin American countries, after the meeting. “It reflects the fact that he is very much appreciated in the institution,” Nogueira Batista said, adding: “People clapped for very long periods.”


Agence France Press reported that DSK “apologized to those who have been hurt by the scandal,” and said he was sorry “the sensational case had had a negative impact on the IMF.” Witnesses told Reuters that while DSK did not specifically discuss his recently dismissed criminal charges, he did describe the U.S. justice system as “fair.”

Now that he’s ticked “make non-apology apology to former subordinates” off his to-do list, it sounds like DSK will soon return to France. “He won’t be leaving for the next couple of days,” his lawyer Benjamin Brafman told the Post, adding that DSK needs to put his Stateside affairs in order.

Strauss-Kahn returns to IMF, gets warm applause [Reuters]
Strauss-Kahn apologizes to IMF staff: witness [AFP]
DSK apologizes - to ex-staff [NYP]

This post has been updated with additional information.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Pays an Apologetic Visit to the IMF [Updated]