BROWN’S IMF HOPES FADE
THE SWEDISH finance minister dealt another blow to Gordon Brown’s already slim chances of becoming the next leader of the IMF yesterday, saying he is “not right” for the job.
Anders Borg believes Brown’s financial record should count against him. French finance minister Christine Lagarde is seen as the early favourite to take the job, with pressure mounting on Dominique Strauss-Kahn to step down after being arrested in the US for attempted rape.
IMF meetings have carried on in Strauss-Kahn’s absence. In a crunch Eurozone showdown the organisation warned Greece it must speed up its economic reforms if it wants to avoid the crisis deepending.
A number of IMF board members have said Strauss-Kahn should quit so the organisation can move on. They have been unable to contact Strauss-Kahn since he was arrested.
Defense lawyers for Strauss-Kahn, want him released on $1m cash bail and placed under 24-hour home detention with electronic monitoring, court papers showed yesterday. A bail hearing on the case is due today.
Meanwhile, lurid allegations about Strauss-Kahn continue to surface. Several high profile women have claimed he abused them or was sexually aggressive. He has also been accused of rape by former journalist Tristane Banon, the god-daughter of his ex-wife.