Strauss-Kahn accuser 'victim of smears' -brother

CONAKRY, July 1 (Reuters) - The brother of the Guinean woman who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault said on Friday she was the victim of a smear campaign, after New York legal sources said doubts about her credibility had brought the case close to collapse.

"These are lies that have been invented to discredit my sister," the man, called Mamoudou, told Reuters by telephone from his home region of Labe 300 km (200 miles) north of the Guinean capital Conakry.

Mamoudou, whose family name is withheld to protect his sister's identity, said he had not spoken to her since her accusation of attempted rape at the luxury New York hotel where she worked forced Strauss-Kahn to resign as head of the IMF and all but derailed his bid to win the French presidency.

However, as a devout Muslim like many in the poor African country, he doubted that his emigrant sister, whom has not seen for some years, would be treated fairly in the wealthy Western world: "When you do not believe in God, you are capable of anything," he said.

Mamoudou was identified by Reuters as the brother of the hotel maid in May , based on details given by her U.S. lawyer and by speaking to people in the Guinean community in New York and Conakry residents with roots in the Labe region. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)