Strauss-Kahn's lawyers deny sexual assault claims

Lawyers for Dominique Strauss-Kahn have disputed the Paris prosecutor's statement that the former head of the International Monetary Fund admitted to sexually assaulting a French writer.

Attorneys Frederique Beaulieu and Henri Leclerc dismissed allegations by writer Tristane Banon that Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her during a 2003 interview as "lying accusations".

In a statement today, the lawyers insisted that Strauss-Kahn "didn't hide anything about the exact nature of his relations" with Banon.

The statement comes a day after the Paris prosecutor's office said it has dropped an investigation into Banon's attempted rape claims but added that Strauss-Kahn admitted during questioning to actions amounting to sexual assault.