( CNN ) Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn should be acquitted of aggravated pimping charges because of insufficient evidence , a prosecutor told a French criminal court Tuesday at the trial of the onetime potential contender for the French presidency . The Lille prosecutor 's stance on the case -- in which investigators argued that Strauss-Kahn organized or encouraged sex parties involving prostitutes -- is n't new . His office said in 2013 that evidence did n't support the charges , but investigative magistrates nevertheless pursued the case to trial , which began two weeks ago . `` Was ( Strauss-Kahn ) an organizer of these evenings ? The answer is no . He did not give instructions , '' Lille Prosecutor Frederic Fevre said , according to CNN affiliate BFMTV . `` Has ( he ) benefited financially from prostitution ? The answer is no . Has he paid prostitutes ? The answer is no . '' Neither the investigation nor the trial supports the pimping charges , Fevre said . Investigators alleged that the sex parties , in locations such as Belgium , New York and Washington , stemmed from a prostitution ring , organized from the Hotel Carlton in Lille . Strauss-Kahn , who was married to French TV journalist Anne Sinclair until their divorce in 2013 , has never denied that he took part in the parties . But the crux of his defense is that he did not know that prostitutes were involved . In testimony last week , he acknowledged that the sexual encounters were organized in such a way that they could fit his agenda , but he denied organizing the parties or knowing that the women involved in the parties were prostitutes . `` I do n't consider myself as the organizer of any party whatsoever , '' he said last week , adding that he had never asked anyone to organize parties for him . In France , prostitution is legal , but pimping is not . Prosecutors allege that two other defendants , businessman David Roquet and Fabrice Paszkowski , a businessman friend of the former IMF director , picked up the bills for the sex parties . Strauss-Kahn saw his stellar career plummet to earth after a separate sex scandal that resulted in his arrest in New York in 2011 . He was later cleared of the New York allegations . Before that scandal erupted , he had been on track to run for the French presidency -- an election that his Socialist Party later won with Francois Hollande as its candidate . The Lille prosecutor 's office in late 2013 asked for Strauss-Kahn 's case to be dismissed , citing a lack of evidence . However , the investigating magistrates did not follow its recommendations . A judgment in the case could come `` within months , '' Fevre 's spokeswoman , Maud Perraudeau , said Tuesday . Sandrine Amiel contributed to this report .
` ` Has ( Strauss - Kahn ) paid you ? The answer is no , '' prosecutor says . The prosecutor 's office has long said there was n't enough evidence to prove the case . But investigative magistrates opened case against him and others ; trial began earlier this month .