Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn returned to his native France early Sunday.

He and his wife, Anne Sinclair, arrived on an Air France flight from New York.

Strauss-Kahn resigned as the IMF's managing director in May after he was arrested at Kennedy airport and charged with the sexual assault and attempted rape of a hotel maid in New York.

He spent almost a week in jail and another six weeks under house arrest. He had also been barred from leaving the United States.

Last week, he walked free when Manhattan prosecutors dropped the case, saying they no longer trusted the accuser, Guinean immigrant Nafissatou Diallo.

Strauss-Kahn denies the allegations. However, Diallo is continuing to press her claims in a civil lawsuit.

Strauss-Kahn had been expected to be President Nicolas Sarkozy's main challenger in 2012 elections before the scandal broke. It is unclear if he will still seek the Socialist Party's presidential nomination.