Dominique Strauss-Kahn back in France

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has returned to France for the first time since sexual assault charges against him were dropped in New York.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), who is expected to give interviews about the incident in the coming days, flew into Paris with his wife Anne Sinclair on Sunday morning.

Mr Strauss-Kahn was arrested on May 14th after being accused of sexually assaulting hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo in Manhattan.

However, concerns about the credibility of Ms Diallo led prosecutors in New York to abandon the case last month.

DNA evidence indicates that a sexual encounter between the pair did take place, but Mr Strauss-Kahn maintains that it was consensual.

The 62-year-old had been considered a frontrunner to challenge Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency in elections next year, but was forced to resign from his role at the IMF shortly after his arrest.

He spent almost a week in jail and then six weeks under house arrest after Ms Diallo, who is pursuing her case in a civil lawsuit, made the allegations.