IT HAS EMERGED that the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) claimed diplomatic immunity and said his handcuffs were too tight when he was arrested for sexual assault in New York last month.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and later charged with attempted rape and other sexual offences in New York and will appear in court later this summer.

Documents released by prosecutors in the city have revealed the details leading up to and after his arrest at JFK airport. Strauss-Kahn has resigned as head of the IMF but maintains he is innocent of the charges of attempted rape against a New York hotel chambermaid.

The transcripts reveal the moments prior to and after his arrest by New York’s Port Authority police as he attempted to leave the country on an Air France jet.

According to the documents, Strauss-Kahn phoned the Sofitel Hotel in Manahattan at 3.30pm local time saying he had left his mobile phone behind.

Police listened in on this conversation and later apprehended the Frenchman at the Air France terminal of JFK airport.

The documents reveal the conversations Strauss-Kahn had with his arresting officers at the airport police station:

Detective Maharaj: “Please have a seat.”

Defendant (Strauss-Kahn): “Is that [handcuffing] necessary?”

Det Maharaj: “Yes, it is.”

Defendant: “I have diplomatic immunity.”

Det Maharaj: “Where is you passport?”

The IMF later clarified that Strauss-Kahn only had limited immunity and that was not applicable to the New York case, according to BBC News.

Later in the transcript, Strauss-Kahn complains again about the handcuffs as he states that he must inform colleagues that he cannot make a meeting, saying:

I need to make a call and let them know I won’t be at my meeting tomorrow. These handcuffs are tight.

He was due to attend a European summit on the following Monday and Tuesday but his arrest put paid to that.

The following morning after his arrest, the former IMF head asked for eggs for his breakfast and later a sandwich.