Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the IMF and French presidential hopeful, has been acquitted of aggravated pimping over orgies

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been cleared of 'aggravated pimping' over orgies held during the global financial crisis.

Strauss-Kahn, who was once widely expected to become French president, was accused of procuring seven prostitutes for 'beast-like' sex parties that took place between 2008 and 2011, while he was married.

He admitted that the orgies took place, but denied knowing the women were paid to be there, saying he believed they were simply 'libertine'.

Strauss-Kahn, known as DSK in France, had been facing 10 years behind bars until his acquittal today.

The verdict draws to a close four years of legal drama for Strauss-Kahn which saw his presidential ambitions implode, and his 20-year marriage collapse.

They began in 2011 when a maid in a New York hotel accused him of sexual assault, dragging allegations about his sexuality into the public eye.

That case ultimately collapsed, and he settled a civil suit wit the woman out of court, but shortly afterwards Strauss-Kahn's name cropped up again during an investigation into a prostitution ring in northern France.

Those investigations, centered around brothel owner Dominique Alderweireld, known as 'Dodo the Pimp', eventually lead to the charge of aggravated pimping.

During his three-week trial, the court heard how Strauss-Kahn, 66, took part in the orgies as 'recreations sessions', away from his job 'saving the world' as the head of the IMF.

Two of the women involved in the parties recounted during the trial how Strauss-Kahn took part in 'brutal' sex sessions, claiming he often had sex with them against their will.

‘I was shocked – I didn’t want to get involved in this carnage,’ one call girl told police in an interview submitted by prosecutors as part of the vast evidence bundle.

Mr Strauss-Kahn admitted to taking part in the often aggressive group sex as 'recreation' away from his job 'saving the world', but denied knowing that the women involved were prostitutes

Other witnesses at the orgies described DSK in the height of ‘pure sexual consummation’, with women all over his writhing body.

But, in a 147 page judgement, the court ruled this was not enough to find DSK guilty of the crime of aggravated pimping.

Strauss Kahn admitted that he has 'a sexuality which, compared to average men, is more rough', but added 'women have the right not to like that whether they are prostitutes or not.'

Saying he was not on trial for 'deviant practices', he added that the use of prostitutes 'horrified' him and that paying for sex would be too great a risk for a man at the head of the IMF.

In their closing arguments, his lawyers said the case against him had 'collapsed' into nothing more than an indictment of Strauss-Kahn's morals, and the prosecution appeared to agree.

Main prosecutor Frederic Fevre called for Strauss-Kahn to be acquitted, saying that 'neither the judicial enquiry nor the hearing have established that Mr Strauss-Kahn is guilty'.

In another boost for Strauss-Kahn, two ex-prostitutes who attended the orgies dropped a civil lawsuit against him, with lawyers saying they lacked enough proof to win the case.

He was one of more than a dozen men, including hotel managers, entrepreneurs, a lawyer and a police chief, accused of oraganising orgies in Washington, Brussels and Paris.

All had faced up to ten years in prison and million pounds plus fines after being accused of organising orgies in hotels across the world from 2008 until 2011.

The accused in the case included Dominique Alderweireld (picutred), otherwise known as 'Dodo the pimp', who was also cleared at Lille Correctional Court today

Beatrice Legrain, the partner and associate of Alderweireld, is pictured outside court earlier today

Among venues used was a Washington DC hotel, close to the IMF offices where DSK was working.

Fabrice Paszkowski, the businessman accused of organising the orgies in the USA was freed, along with constructive executive David Roquet.

The main hotel used one was the Carlton in Lille – meaning that that the seedy saga became known as the ‘Carlton Affair’.

DSK admitted having a huge sexual appetite and attending what he described as ‘libertine’ parties, but denied knowing that any of the girls were prostitutes, and the court ruling concurred.

DSK said it was impossible to tell what the women did professionally because they were all naked.

It is not illegal to pay for sex in France, but it is against the law to solicit or to run a prostitution business.

Even Frederic Fevre, the main prosecutor, had asked for DSK’s acquittal, saying the trial evidence did not back up the charge.

The prosecutor said: ‘This was not a mafia network that was dismantled’, but a group of friends trying to ‘satisfy egos, ambitions and quite simply, physical desires’.

Mr Fevre had called for suspended sentences and token fines ranging up to 15,000 for the other accused, but the judges instead chose to acquit.