Dominique Strauss-Kahn Freed: Timeline Of The Former IMF Head's Sex Scandal (PHOTOS)

After being confined to a New York City loft for weeks on house arrest, former International Monetary Fund leader Dominque Strauss-Kahn was released Friday amid speculations that he was the victim of a political set-up.

As the Associated Press is reporting, the charges against Strauss-Kahn -- which include attempted rape of a Manhattan hotel maid -- have not been reduced. However, the credibility of the 32-year-old maid making the allegations has now reportedly been called into question, with defense lawyers now saying the alleged sexual encounter may have even been consensual. "It is a great relief," Strauss-Kahn's attorney, William Taylor, is quoted as saying. "It is so important in this country that people, especially the media, refrain from judgment until the facts are all in."

French Strauss-Kahn supporters cheered his surprise release, and many now hope his now-disgraced political career could be reborn, according to the Washington Post.

Take a look at a timeline of events in the case below: