New York, Aug 26: Dominique Strauss-Kahn was given back his passport on Thursday, his legal team said, clearing the way for the former IMF head to travel abroad for the first time since his arrest three months ago on sex crime charges.

"I can confirm that the New York Police Department and the Office of the District Attorney returned Mr Strauss-Kahn's passport," Shawn Naunton, from the French politician's legal team, said after a brief visit to his Manhattan home.

Strauss-Kahn has been a free man since Tuesday when a New York judge agreed to a request by prosecutors to drop all charges against him.

The DA's office said it could no longer pursue the case because while Strauss-Kahn did engage in sex with a Manhattan hotel maid, her repeated lying to investigators made it impossible to prove beyond a reasonable doubt her allegations of sexual assault.

"As you all know, Mr Strauss-Kahn's freedom was restored on Tuesday and the criminal charges were dismissed. It's gratifying to return his passport to him today," Naunton said.

Strauss-Kahn is believed to be preparing to return to France, where until his arrest he was seen as a leading prospect to become president in elections next year.

Despite the dismissal of charges, the affair remains a dark cloud over his reputation. A spokesman at the International Monetary Fund, where Strauss-Kahn had to give up the leadership in the wake of his arrest, said that a visit was expected "as early as next week."

AFP