Manhattan wants Strauss-Kahn to pay for his stay

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Manhattan Borough wants former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn to pay for his stay in the luxury pad where he is under house arrest as he awaits trial on sexual assault charges.

"I'm calling on Mr. Strauss-Kahn to whip out that checkbook of his and pay us for the cost of policing, traffic congestion and other ancillary services as he lives in the lap of luxury under house arrest," Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

"Mr Strauss-Kahn has been running up quite a tab, including $50,000 monthly rent for a townhouse, fancy steak dinners, plus the use of a gym, a terrace and a private movie theater," he said.

"Well, here's something else he can put on his tab — total compensation to the taxpayers of New York City as the price of living here, high on the hog, and bringing potential burdens to a residential neighborhood," Stringer added.

Strauss-Kahn has been charged with sexually assaulting a 32-year-old maid at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan.

He is spending his house arrest in a luxurious house in the posh area of Tribeca which is reportedly the most expensive rental in the area.

Celebrities like Cameron Diaz have reportedly previously shown interest in the place, which has four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a spa, gym, steam bath, and home theatre.

The former chief will live there with his wife, Anne Sinclair, a French TV journalist. He will also have to wear an electronic monitoring device and he will be surrounded by armed guards.