New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus dismissed on Tuesday the criminal sexual assault charges against IMF (International Monetary Fund) former head Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The dismissal is conditioned on the outcome of an appeal challenging the court's rejection of a bid by the accuser for a special prosecutor in the case. Obus said the appeals court has 30 days to decide.

Strauss-Kahn issued a statement after the hearing, saying that the past two and a half months have been a nightmare for him and his family.

"I want to thank all the friends in France and in the United States who have believed in my innocence, and to the thousands of people who sent us their support personally and in writing. I am most deeply grateful to my wife and family who have gone through this ordeal with me," he said. "We will have nothing further to say about this matter and we look forward to returning to our home and resuming something of a more normal life," Strauss-Kahn added.

Outside the court, Strauss-Kahn was greeted by protesters holding signs that read "DSK treats women like property" and "Put the rapist on trial - not the victim."

Prosecutors in the office of Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, filed papers on Monday requesting that all charges be dropped against Strauss-Kahn, who was accused of sexually attacking a hotel maid in May.

In a brief hearing at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on July 1, the judge freed Strauss-Kahn from house arrest. Prosecutors acknowledged that there were significant credibility issues with the hotel maid.