On Monday, the famous Congolese Rumba singer Kofi Olomoide rejected all allegations of sexual assault and kidnapping against him in an appeal trial at the Criminal Court of Versailles.
“Wrong, all wrong!”: Before the Court of Appeal of Versailles, Congolese rumba star Kofi Olomid was sexually assaulted and assaulted four of his former dancers during his tour of France on Monday, October 25th. The allegation of kidnapping was strongly defended.
The 65-year-old internationally renowned singer, with a white beard and white sweater, did not participate in the first trial in 2019, but for the first time publicly discussed the charges against him in the Nanterre Criminal Court.
He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in the first instance for “sexual assault” against one of the young women. He was declared a minor at the time of the case and was immune from other charges against him in most cases.
The prosecutor who asked for seven years’ imprisonment appealed.
The president of the court stated at the beginning of the appeals process on Monday that the 2019 judgment was “incomprehensible in some respects”, which prompted the lawyers of the civil parties to obtain approval.
The four complainants who were invited to sit in the front row, all dressed in black, listened carefully to the long investigation report read by the president.
The four Congolese women filed a complaint between 2007 and 2013, accusing Kofi Olomid of locking them in a guarded pavilion near Paris during his tour of France and forcing them to have sex with him , This happens frequently for some people.
While at the helm, Kofi Olomoide had a serious voice that he could barely hear, but with a confident tone, sometimes interrupting the president’s words, clearing away allegations of kidnapping, and ensuring that they “go to the Champs Elysées” and sometimes ” They asked us to accompany them”, and they confirmed in the investigation that they had been escorted against their wishes.
“This is a cinema”
However, the singer admitted that he has “censorship” over their works because “in Congo, they all have a French dream”. He begged him to confirm that they did not intend to stay in France after the tour in Paris.
During the investigation, they told that after using sleeping pills to put the guards to sleep in June 2006, they finally fled the residence with a bed sheet.
“This is the cinema, ma’am,” assured the singer at the helm, his original name Antoine Agbepa Mumba. “Return to the Congo is imminent, they know we will return to the Congo,” so they want to stay in France at all costs, he said.
Two other men close to the singer were also retrial and accused of collusion. One of them—evoking “lie” from private parties in order to stay in France—admitted that when they left the pavilion, he was “obligated” to follow them because “they didn’t know the way”, shopping, for example, he said .
In their statement to the investigating judge, the four young women also said that the singer sometimes sent them to the hotel and sometimes to the recording studio to force them to have sex with him.
“It’s fake, it’s all fake,” Mr. Olomod in the bar shouted, “I’ve never been alone with these girls,” he tried to repeat.
“How can you have sex in the studio?” I have hallucinations! There are sound engineers, there are assistants…doesn’t exist! “, he launched an attack in court.
He also strongly opposed the abuse allegations, and he was fired for it. He said: “I am proud that dancers on each tour earn 600 Euros.”
The hearing will continue on Monday night, when the civil parties will be heard.
Agence France-Presse