"It makes me sick to see him a free man, dining in an expensive restaurant"

“I cannot stand hearing anymore that I’m a liar since I have not filed charges,” Banon told L’Express. “For eight years now I have been bearing the burden of this story alone. I hear the rumors and the lies about me. Since May 14 [the day of Strauss-Kahn’s arrest in New York], other people are deciding what my silence means, interpreting every word uttered by my lawyer without even listening.” Banon added that she was disturbed by criticisms of her refusal to express support for Strauss-Kahn’s American accuser, a reticence that her lawyer, David Koubbi, has explained by his and his client’s desire to avoid having the two cases linked.

“It has become unbearable for me,” Banon continued. “And then to see Strauss-Kahn a free man today [July 1] dining with friends in an expensive restaurant — it makes me sick. I know very well that half of the people will believe me and the other half won’t. There is no good solution. There is only a solution that will finally let me look at myself in the mirror.”