Koffi Olomide Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison Over Kidnapping, Acquitted of Assault Charges
- Koffi Olomide was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence over the kidnapping of his former dancers while in France
- The singer was also acquitted of sexual assault charges, which did not please the prosecutors
- The court also ordered the singer to pay between N4.3 million and N14.6 million to each of the former dancers
Congolese musician Koffi Olomide has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for the kidnapping of his former dancers by an appeal court in France.
Source: Instagram
On Monday, December 13, the court in Versailles overturned a 2019 ruling over a rape charge of one of the dancers and gave him the new sentence, suspended for three years.
According to the BBC, the singer was also cleared of sexually assaulting four ex dancers - members of his Quartier Latin band.
The female dancers had accused Koffi of sexual assault and kidnapping between 2002 and 2006 at a villa in Asnières, Paris.
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Minimum of eight years
The public prosecutor had reportedly called for a minimum sentence of eight years, and one of the lawyers representing three of the women noted it was a huge disappointment.
Lawyer David Desgranges said his clients were dissatisfied with the sexual assault verdict as it was the most important thing.
The judge is said to have overturned the rape charge because of changing and contradicting evidence provided by the prosecutors.
The singer was also ordered to pay fines of between N4.3 million and N14.6 million to each of the former dancers.
Koffi's assault cases
The Lingala king is not new to controversies, he has a long list of cases that have seen him in and out of court.
In 2008, the musician was accused of assaulting a photojournalist from a local TV station in Kinshasa who was covering his concert.
He was arrested in August 2012 for assaulting his former music producer, Diego Lubaki, and was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence for the assault.
In December 2012, the musician was accused of kicking a freelance photo-journalist, Jean Mandela, in the face during a concert in Zambia.
Koffi is also banned from performing in several countries, especially Africa, as his musical performances are said to be too raunchy and explicit.
The singer caused a stir upon his arrival in Kenya on Friday, July 22, when he kicked one of his female dancers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the full glare of cameras and police officers.
The incident quickly went viral, with many Kenyans taking to social media to condemn his actions and call for his arrest.
Source: Legit.ng
