Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has dismissed charges of sexually assaulting a flight attendant six years ago, denouncing a “political” conspiracy.

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"These accusations are totally false," responded the boss of Tesla and the richest man in the world on Twitter, the social network he wants to buy, following an article published Thursday.

Independent online media The Insider reported that Mr Musk's aerospace group, SpaceX, paid a woman $250,000 in 2018 to end an inappropriate behavior complaint filed against him.

The 50-year-old entrepreneur is accused there, while receiving a massage from this woman on a private flight en route to London, of showing her his erect penis, touching her legs without her consent and asking for a sexual act.

The article notably quotes a woman claiming to be a friend of the flight attendant.

"The attacks on me must be viewed through a political prism - it's their (despicable) usual way of doing things," Musk tweeted on Thursday, without specifying who he was targeting.

"I challenge this liar who says her friend saw me 'discovered': tell me one thing, anything (scars, tattoos...) that is not publicly known," he said. -he declares. "She can't do it, because it never happened."

The South African-born boss - who has South African, American and Canadian nationalities - has lately moved closer to the Republicans, having so far backed the Democrats.

“Now watch how they unfold their campaign of dirty tricks against me,” added Mr. Musk, whose fortune is estimated at some 265 billion euros.

He this week shelved his offer to buy Twitter for $44 billion due to lack of clarity over the fake accounts, while saying he was “still committed” to completing the deal.

Originally known as the founder of Tesla, who made his fortune, Elon Musk, a thrice-divorced father of eight, became a central figure in American neo-capitalism with his extra-planetary ambitions and political ideals, which it relays abundantly on social networks.