DSK chambermaid may try case in France

PARIS, July 21 (UPI) -- The New York chambermaid who accused Dominqiue Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault and attempted rape may take her case to a French court, a French lawyer says.

The case could be tried in France because under French law, crimes by French nationals outside the country are applicable back home "if they are punished by legislation in the country where they were committed," lawyer Jean-Michel Scharr told Le Parisien, France's largest national newspaper.

"The victim is not obliged to wait for a decision by the American justice system, whatever its nature, to do so," he said.

A French judge would have three months to decide if the case warrants a full investigation and possible trial, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Strauss-Kahn could not be tried in both countries on the same criminal charges, but could be tried on similar ones, Scharr said.

The U.S. case against Strauss-Kahn was reported on the verge of collapse due to questions about the housekeeper's credibility.

At minimum, the lawyers could file a civil lawsuit, Scharr told the newspaper.

The chambermaid's New York lawyer, Kenneth Thompson, denied she would seek to bring criminal prosecution against Strauss-Kahn in France, the Telegraph said.

French writer Tristane Banon claimed last month Strauss-Kahn tried to sexually assault her in 2003, and she announced she would officially accuse him of attempted rape too.

Strauss-Kahn denied wrongdoing in both cases and launched legal action against Banon for defamation.

Strauss-Kahn is next due in a New York court Aug. 1.