Strauss-Kahn granted bail, placed under house arrest

A judge in New York has set bail at a US$1 million bond and an insurance bond of US$5 million.

He will be placed under home detention with electronic monitoring - conditions which he had already agreed to.

He had asked for US$1 million cash bail and this was the second time in court within a week that he had requested being released.

Strauss-Kahn also signed an affidavit waiving his extradition rights.

It means he will no longer be held at the notorious Rikers Island prison where he has been on suicide watch.

Prosecutors in New York said he was indicted by a grand jury, which means the case will proceed to a trial if he pleads not guilty.

He has not yet entered a plea but his lawyers have said he intends to deny the charges against him..

In the court papers, a lawyer said: "We respectfully submit that these additional bail conditions eliminate any concern that Strauss-Kahn would or could leave this court's jurisdiction."

His lawyer told the court his French client, who has resigned as managing director of the IMF was an "honourable man" who would not skip bail.

He said the prospect of the accused "teleporting" himself to France was "ludicrous" as his face was well-known.

The lawyer claimed he could not think of any more stringent conditions and Strauss-Kahn's need to be released from custody was extreme.

Strauss-Kahn's wife and daughter were in court for the hearing.

Prosecutors argued that the accused has no right to be released. They said the proof was substantial and grows everyday against him. 

On Monday, he was denied bail after the prosecution successfully argued he was a flight risk.

In a letter to the organisation's board, he wrote: "I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me.

"I want to protect this institution which I have served with honour and devotion, and especially-especially-I want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence."

The 32-year-old hotel maid, whose identity is being protected, gave her side of the story to the grand jury on Wednesday.

The hearings are always in secret and it is not known what she said.

Her lawyer Jeffrey Shapiro dismissed speculation that the maid would also pursue Strauss-Kahn for damages in a civil suit.

He said: "It's not contemplated and it's not been discussed ... I'm helping her get through each day."

If the case goes to trial and he is convicted, Strauss-Kahn faces up to 25 years in prison.