International music star, Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba a.k.a.
Koffi Olomide was given a two years suspended jail sentence in
absentia by a court in France for raping a 15 year-old girl.
This sentence means that the 62 year-old music composer,
producer and singer faces an arrest if he commits further offenses,
according to BBC. The graduate of Business Economic and pioneer of
the soukous genre was order by the court to pay a fine of 5,000
Euros ($5,700; £4,300) in damages to the former dancer.
He was also ordered to pay the same amount to the court for
illegally bringing three women into France.
Reports also stated that Olomide’s lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny
hailed the ruling as a victory that it would result in the
withdrawal of the star’s international arrest warrant.
The Kisangani born artist in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
was accused of raping a young lady between 2002 and 2006 after it
was alleged that he seized her passport.
He went on trial after four former dancers claimed he sexually
assaulted them several times between 2002 and 2006.
The assaults allegedly happened in the DRC as well as in France,
including at a villa outside Paris where the women said they were
held against their will.
The dancers said they managed to make a night-time escape from
the villa in June 2006, and have not returned to their country
since for fear of reprisals.
Prosecutors at his trial in Nanterre, outside Paris, had sought
a seven-year prison sentence but the court dismissed the assault
and kidnapping charges.
The Master Degree holder in Mathematics was first charged in
2012 with aggravated rape but the charges were subsequently
reduced.
Facing a French arrest warrant, he fled to DR Congo in 2009 but
had initially said he would appear at the trial to defend
himself.
Olomide, however, failed to show for the trial last month, which
was held behind closed doors at the women’s request.
NAN
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