Dominique Strauss-Kahn has returned home to a mixed welcome in France – for the first time since attempted rape accusations by a New York hotel maid unleashed an international scandal that dashed his chances of the French presidency.

French investigators questioned a leading presidential hopeful about a writer's claim that former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn tried to rape her.

Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn faced a potential new sexual assault investigation after a young French writer said she would formally accuse him of trying to rape her during a 2002 interview.

ALREADY in custody for the alleged attempted rape of a hotel maid in New York, Dominique Strauss- Kahn is now facing a second allegation of sexual assault this time by a fellow French native.