PARIS: French prosecutors launched a preliminary probe Friday into allegations by a young writer that former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, accused of sex crimes in New York, tried to rape her.

The probe came as the US case against Strauss-Kahn, until recently seen as the favorite to win next year’s French presidential elections, appeared to be floundering amid doubts over his accuser’s credibility.

French police have been assigned to investigate a complaint lodged by 32-year-old Tristane Banon that Socialist politician Strauss-Kahn assaulted her in a Paris flat in 2003 as she interviewed him for a book she was writing.

Banon’s lawyer, David Koubbi, insists her complaint is not simply a “her word versus his” dispute, but is backed by supporting evidence.

“We have material elements. Text messages were sent and there is testimony. Several people are at the disposal of the judiciary to bear witness,” he said this week, after filing the complaint with state prosecutors.

After the inquiry was announced, Koubbi expressed his satisfaction.

“Some said there was nothing to this case. Some said it would be dismissed out of hand. I’d just like to note the Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, which is just what we expected,” he said.

In France, attempted rape is punishable by a sentence of 15 years, while in New York Strauss-Kahn faces a total of seven related charges, some of them carrying penalties of up to 25 years in jail.

By now, anyone following the Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s New York sexual assault case knows plenty about the woman who accused him: her age, origins, work history, relatives and, most recently, a series of lies and misstatements she gave to investigators.

But one detail has remained concealed by major US media: her name.

Citing the unique stigma of rape, American news outlets have for decades refused to identify victims and alleged victims of sexual assault, even as they investigate their backgrounds. As recent revelations raise doubts about the credibility of Strauss-Kahn’s accuser, and the attempted rape case against the former International Monetary Fund chief appears close to collapse, news organizations have begun to revisit these long-held policies.

“It’s an ethical minefield,” said Adam Penenberg, a journalism professor at New York University. “It puts everybody in an impossible position.”

The woman’s name has already been published by numerous news outlets in Europe and Africa, where accusers’ names are more routinely reported.

An Internet search will reveal it is on hundreds of websites. Some journalism experts say that renders the convention of anonymity increasingly meaningless. No major US news organization has yet revealed the woman’s name, even as her credibility has been seriously questioned.

“Editors here have discussed the situation as new developments have emerged in this case,” said Phil Corbett, the New York Times’ associate managing editor for standards.

“As of now, the authorities continue to consider the woman to be the victim in an alleged sexual assault, and we have stuck to our normal practice of not identifying her.”

Editors at Reuters debated the issue and decided the woman should remain unidentified, said Jim Gaines, the global head of ethics, standards and innovation.

“It was very brief, because we all know what the rule is,” Gaines said. “It’s hard to anticipate the circumstances under which we would name her, unless she named herself.”

Are there circumstances that would justify dropping the policy and identifying the woman?

Several editors said a dismissal of the charges against Strauss-Kahn would probably be insufficient to convince them to use his accuser’s name, unless, for example, authorities seek to charge her with perjury for suspicion of lying under oath.

“I would distinguish between charges being dropped and charges being brought against her,” said Roger Smith, the national editor for the Los Angeles Times.

Corbett said there is no “clear, bright line” that would indicate when to use her name.

Journalists are not legally bound to conceal the identities of sexual assault victims — the US Supreme Court has ruled that news outlets may use them if legally obtained. But with rare exceptions, the media have refrained from doing that.