Geithner: Strauss-Kahn cannot run IMF

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180511.html

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has questioned the International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief's competency, saying he doubts Dominique Strauss-Kahn can lead the organization.

"He's obviously not in the position to run the IMF," AFP quoted Geithner as saying on Wednesday.

Addressing the Harvard Club in New York on Tuesday, Geithner said the IMF's executive board should designate an interim head.

Geithner's remark came in the wake of Strauss-Kahn's sexual scandal, which may put the embattled French official behind bars.

The 62-year-old French politician was arrested on charges of sexual assault against a hotel maid on Saturday.

A New York court then jailed him in notorious Rikers Island jail after his bail was denied by a judge.

On Monday, Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

He, however, would be kept in solitary confinement until his next court session on Friday.

Strauss-Kahn faces charges including attempted rape, sex abuse, criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching. He could face 5 to 25 years in prison.

This is the first time a senior official from US President Barack Obama's administration has publicly spoken about the issue. However, Geithner refused to comment on the case or the details of the charges against Strauss-Kahn.

The IMF chief was detained onboard a plane on Saturday before flying to the French capital, Paris.

The IMF is the intergovernmental organization which oversees the global financial system through the macroeconomic policies of its member countries.