Dominique Strauss-Kahn Files $1m Countersuit Against NY Hotel Maid Nafitassou Diallo

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is striking back against Nafissatou Diallo, the New York hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault, by filing a $1m countersuit.

Last year's sexual assault scandal saw Strauss-Kahn resign as the head of the International Monetary Fund and cut short his political career in France, but the politician has now hit back, a report in the New York Post revealed.

According to the paper, court papers filed on May 14 said that Strauss-Kahn denies all wrongdoing and accuses Diallo of "knowingly and intentionally making a false report to law-enforcement authorities."

The countersuit was lodged at the Bronx Supreme Court and claims Diallo's "malicious and wanton false allegation" undermined Strauss-Kahn's reputation and damaged "other professional opportunities," the report added.

One of Diallo's lawyers, Douglas Wigdor, called the countersuit a "desperate ploy," which he is confident "will be swiftly rejected."

Before the sexual assault allegations emerged, Strauss-Kahn, 62, was tipped to be the French Socialist Party's candidate to take on Nicolas Sarkozy in this year's presidential elections.

Instead, it was Socialist candidate Francois Hollande who stood against Sarkozy. He won the elections and was sworn in as president on May 15.

Diallo first claimed Strauss-Kahn had tried to rape her after she arrived to clean his hotel suit in Manhattan in May last year, which the politician denies.

The accusations led to the arrest of Strauss-Kahn, but the criminal case against him was dismissed after prosecutors cast doubt's on Diallo's credibility.

Undeterred, Diallo went on to file a civil lawsuit against Strauss-Kahn, accusing him of assault.

News of Strauss-Kahn's countersuit came after a judge dismissed the former IMF chief's claims to diplomatic immunity earlier this month and ruled that a civil trial could go ahead.