The former head of the International monetary fund Dominique Strauss-Khan has been acquitted of the aggravated pimping charges that he was facing. This brings to a close an almost four-year legal battle that placed France on the limelight and shining a spotlight on the sexual activities of powerful people in the world.

According to the NYTimes, Mr. Strauss-Khan was charged back in 2012 for aggravated procurement in a group or pimping. He was accused of using a network of friends to organize extravagant sex parties with prostitutes. One year later, he was also accused of sexually assaulting a housekeeper at a hotel in New York.

Mr. Strauss Khan was once a strong presidential contender for France. Khan was facing up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 1.5 million euros if he was convicted. In France, prostitution is not illegal but pimping and soliciting are.

Mr. Strauss Khan case was acquitted for lack of evidence by judges in Lille, in northern France where some of the parties he was accused of organizing were allegedly held. In 2013, a prosecutor in Lille recommended that the charges against Strauss-Khan be dropped but was overruled by investigating magistrates who had decided to proceed.

During the trial that took place in February, Mr. Straus Khan admitted that he was present at the sex parties in Lille, Washington, and Paris and that was mostly attended by lawyers, journalists, judges and Police officials according to the prosecution.

Mr. Khan denied any involvement in organizing the sex parties or that he knew any of the prostitutes that were present during the parties. Thirteen other defendants also stood trial including a former Police chief and several other local businesspersons all who were accused of facilitating and hiring of the prostitutes for the parties.

Mr. Strauss-Khan told the court that he had no idea any of the women in the parties was a prostitute, particularly given his position at the I.M.F. Although all the charges were dropped, the suit ended with a civil settlement.