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NEW YORK – Over the objections of prosecutors, a determine united weekday to liberated past IMF chief chicken Strauss-Kahn from slammer on $1 meg recognizance on the information he be confining to a New royalty housing low armed protect patch he awaits trial on attempted-rape charges.

The 62-year-old land banker and functionary shortly wore an expression of relief after Supreme Court Justice archangel J. Obus declared his selection in a packed courtroom. Later, Strauss-Kahn blew a touching toward his wife.

The judgement didn't directly liberated Strauss-Kahn from the city's bleak Rikers Island jail. Authorities need instance to analyse the security arrangements involved in his concern arrest, which lawyers said would be at an housing rented by his wife.

The lawyer who represented Strauss-Kahn at the hearing, William Taylor, titled the judgement "a enthusiastic relief for the family."

"He's feat backwards to Rikers tonight and we expect him to be free tomorrow," he said.

Strauss-Kahn module not exclusive hit to place the flooded $1 meg but module also hit to verify out a $5 meg shelter bond. A trial fellow was not directly set.

The banker is accused of offensive a 32-year-old housekeeper Sat at his $3,000-a-night hotel suite. The West individual immigrant told police that he chased her downbound a hallway, forced her to perform test stimulate and tried to vanish her stockings.

He spent nearly a hebdomad behindhand bars — most of that at Rikers, after a determine denied him recognizance on Monday. At that hearing, prosecutors warned that Strauss-Kahn might scarper to author and carelessness official in the U.S. like flick administrator Roman Polanski.

This time, Strauss-Kahn went before a assorted judge, and also offered to place himself low concern arrest. Obus additional the responsibility that he place the $5 meg insurance.

The recognizance selection came less than a period after Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing administrator of the International Monetary Fund, the coercive organization that makes crisis loans to countries in business crisis.

In his despair letter, he denied the allegations against him but said he would depart in visit to "protect this hospital which I hit served with take and devotion" and to "devote every my strength, every my instance and every my energy to proving my innocence."

Also Thursday, prosecutors declared that Strauss-Kahn had been formally indicted on the stimulate charges. Without the indictment, polity would hit been unable to retard him for individual than a week.

Strauss-Kahn didn't intercommunicate during the suite proceedings, but President said his land of mind was "much better now than before we started."

Prosecutors with the borough district attorney's duty had argued against his release, citing the ferocious nature of the alleged offenses and saying his riches and planetary connections would attain it easy for him to flee.

"The proof against him is substantial. It is continuing to grow every period as the enquiry continues," Assistant District Attorney Evangelist "Artie" McConnell told the judge. "We hit a Negro who, by his possess conduct in this case, has shown a inclination for dynamical malefactor conduct."

Similar house-arrest arrangements hit been prefabricated for another high-profile defendants in the city, most notably physiologist Madoff, the Ponzi plot mastermind who stole billions.

Taylor titled the composing "restrictive," although he suggested some precautions were necessary.

"In our view, no recognizance is required to support Mr. Strauss-Kahn's appearance. He is an revered man. He module appear in this suite and anywhere added the suite directs, and he has exclusive digit interest at this time, and that is to clear his name," President said.

In France, a Socialist leader and longtime ally, Francois Pupponi, spoken relief at the selection to allow Strauss-Kahn to yield jail. "There's eventually a taste of beatific programme in a intense week," he said on BFM-TV. "We were no individual expecting beatific news."

Strauss-Kahn arrived for the recognizance chance in a gray meet and an open blue shirt. As he entered, he turned to provide a quick smile to his girl and wife, the land television writer Anne Sinclair, sitting in the gallery.

Scores of reporters unsmooth up right the courtroom entranceway before the hearing. Court spokesman king Bookstaver said it was digit of the biggest media throngs at the courthouse since Mark king pioneer was inactive in 1980 for killing Evangelist Lennon.

The political wrangling over who module follow Strauss-Kahn at the IMF already has begun. European officials, including Germany's chancellor, the European Commission and France's direction minister, hit argued that his equal should be a European.

Some polity from China and Brasil hit said it is instance to fortuity Europe's traditional ascendency over the position and constitute someone from a developing nation. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has asked for an "open process," without mentioning some specific candidates.

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Associated Press Writers Karen Zraick in New royalty and Elaine Ganley in town contributed to this report.

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