The New York hotel maid who accused former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her said in an online interview yesterday he appeared as a "crazy man" and attacked her when she entered his room.
Nafissatou Diallo gave Newsweek's website - and ABC News - permission to identify her by name.
The Newsweek interview marks the first time the Guinean immigrant (32) to the United States has publicly spoken to the media since she shocked the world with allegations levelled against Mr Strauss-Kahn. ABC News on Sunday also announced it would broadcast an interview with Ms Diallo today.
"I want justice. I want him to go to jail," she said in excerpts from the television interview released yesterday. "I want him to know that there is some places you cannot use your money, you cannot use your power when you do something like this," Ms Diallo said.
One of Ms Diallo's attorneys, Douglas Wigdor, told Reuters she has come forward to let the world know she is not a "shakedown artist or a prostitute." "She's being attacked . . . and she thought it was important to put a name and face to her account," Mr Wigdor said.
She also plans to file a civil lawsuit soon, which means her name would become public, he added.
ABC reported Ms Diallo also acknowledged "mistakes" but said that should not stop prosecutors from going forward.
"I never want to be in public, but I have no choice," she told ABC News, adding "Now, I have to be in public. I have to, for myself. I have to tell the truth," said Ms Diallo, who Newsweek said had agreed to be photographed for next week's edition.
Mr Strauss-Kahn (62) has repeatedly denied all the charges against him. In a statement yesterday, his lawyers called the interview a last-ditch effort by the maid and her lawyers to extract money from the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
She is "the first accuser in history to conduct a media campaign to persuade a prosecutor to pursue charges against a person from whom she wants money," lawyers Benjamin Brafman and William Taylor said.
Ms Diallo's credibility was thrown into question when Manhattan prosecutors revealed she told authorities numerous lies, including fabricating a story about being gang-raped in Guinea in order to gain US asylum. She also changed details of her story about what happened following the purported assault.
Reuters