MOSCOW, November 30 - RAPSI. Former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the hotel maid whose accusations of sexual assault wounded his reputation and derailed his career, are close to settling their civil suit and countersuit, according to an Associate Press (AP) report citing a source close to the case.

Hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo accused Strauss-Kahn of having forced her to engage in sexual contact in his room at the Sofitel New York Hotel. Strauss-Kahn pleaded not guilty, claiming that any such contact between the two of them had been consensual.

Strauss-Kahn was removed from his Paris-bound flight in New York shortly before takeoff on May 14, 2011 and arrested based on the allegations.

Strauss-Kahn stepped down from his position at the help of the IMF less than a week after he was arrested. He had been widely expected to run on the Socialist ticket during France’s most recent presidential elections, but announced his decision not to run in the aftermath of his arrest.

In the weeks that followed, Diallo’s credibility began to draw skepticism as it emerged that she had lied to authorities when seeking refugee status, as well as to tax and social security officials. She even admitted to having lied to a grand jury about the events surrounding the alleged attack.

In August of that year, the Supreme Court of New York announced its decision to close the case, citing a lack of credibility on the part of Diallo.

According to the AP report, after criminal charges were dropped, Diallo filed a civil claim against Strauss-Kahn, who in turn counter-sued. The source explained that lawyers for Strauss-Kahn and Diallo worked together to draft the agreement, which has not yet been signed, and that the agreement and a separate claim for defamation will be dealt with in the Bronx Supreme Court.