Ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the French writer who accuses him of attempted rape have confronted each other as part of a police inquiry.
Police are investigating Tristane Banon's complaint before prosecutors decide whether to press charges.Mr Strauss-Kahn is said to admit making "an advance" on Ms Banon, but denies any violence, and is suing for slander.
She made the allegations in June, when Mr Strauss-Kahn was accused of rape in New York; that case was later dropped.
The confrontation took place at a Paris police station without lawyers present, but with police officers in the room. Police confrontations are held when two people in a case give different versions of events.
'Kicks and punches'
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After the confrontation, it will be up to prosecutors to decide which way to take it.
They could decide that there is no case to answer, or that this was a case of less-serious sexual abuse - then the case would be put to one side under the statute of limitation
Or they could decide that on the evidence of the investigation that has been going on since July, there needs to be further investigation and an investigating judge would been appointed.
But you can imagine for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who his trying to relaunch is political career, he is very keen for this to be put to one side and he will be hoping that the police believe his side of the story.
At the scene
They could decide that there is no case to answer, or that this was a case of less-serious sexual abuse - then the case would be put to one side under the statute of limitation
Or they could decide that on the evidence of the investigation that has been going on since July, there needs to be further investigation and an investigating judge would been appointed.
But you can imagine for Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who his trying to relaunch is political career, he is very keen for this to be put to one side and he will be hoping that the police believe his side of the story.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, left the police station a couple of hours after arriving without making any comments.
Later, his lawyer said both sides had stuck to their version of what happenedMs Banon, 32, had said she was keen to confront her alleged attacker: "I want him in front of me so he can look into my eyes and say to my face that I imagined it."
She alleges she had to fight off Mr Strauss-Kahn "with kicks and punches" when he tried to rip off her clothes during an interview at Paris flat in 2003.
Ms Banon first made the allegations in a TV chat show in 2007, when Mr Strauss-Kahn's name was bleeped out.
On the basis of preliminary inquiries, including Thursday's confrontation, police are expected to hand over their conclusions to prosecutors in the coming days.
The prosecutors may then decide to either drop the case or start formal criminal proceedings by requesting the appointment of an investigating judge.
There is no time limit for prosecutors to make the decision.
The former International Monetary Fund director, who was once tipped as a future French president, recently returned to France.
He also still faces a civil suit in the US by his alleged victim in New York, Nafissatou Diallo.
taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15105415
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