The maid who accused the former IMF head of rape is in trouble with immigration authorities.Nafissatou Diallo will likely face deportation hearings after prosecutors said she admitted lying on her application for asylum, immigration lawyers said Tuesday.
«Lying on sworn statements is almost a guarantee the case will be reopened,» said lawyer Jason Dzubow.«She’s going to have a hard time.»
Diallo, 32, was exposed during the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case as a habitual liar who slipped into the U.S.behind a curtain of untruths not unheard of in asylum cases.
She concocted a story about hara*sment from the dictatorship in Guinea, and used a bogus visa to enter the country in January 2004.
She fabricated the tale of a gang rape in Guinea to gain sympathy and asylum in New York, prosecutors said.
«With all the press attention, my educated guess is that they are going to look at her case again,» said immigration lawyer Zachary Sanders.«I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.»
Diallo’s fellow West African immigrants in the Bronx were rallying to her defense.
«It doesn’t matter if she wasn’t honest about some things,» said Emmanuel Donkor, 26.«If she was raped, that’s all that counts.»
Boubacar Barry, 26, who followed the case intently, felt Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.did Diallo an injustice.
«He should have let a jury decide,» Barry said.«I thought this was America.I’m more than disappointed.»
Turning the Corner
