Koffi Olomidé accused of rape to be tried next October

The appeal of the musician Koffi Olomidé has been postponed to 25 October 2021 in Paris. The king of Congolese rumba was to be retried on appeal this Monday 12 April for sexual assault against four of his former dancers. This was announced by the Court of Appeal in Versailles.

Koffi Olomidé was due to appear before the judges in France on Monday 12 April but did not take the stand. Last October, the trial of the 64-year-old Congolese singer had already been postponed for six months, as his lawyer had another case before the court. This time it has been postponed for a further six months, at the request of the civil parties who are invoking child custody problems. This trial pits him against four of his former dancers.

But the counsel for three of the dancers confided that a major unforeseen event had changed the situation: the fourth plaintiff, the only recognised victim and a minor at the time of the events, no longer had a lawyer to defend her. The civil parties also feared that Koffi Olomide, who has never responded to court summonses, would evade them once again by invoking the health crisis linked to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The hearing is therefore postponed to 25 October at the Versailles Court of Appeal, in the hope that Covid-19 will no longer be an obstacle. The « Great Mopao » is accused of sexual assault on a 15 year old minor, sequestration of his dancers, for facts allegedly dating back to 2002 and 2006, at the home of the artist in Asnières, near Paris.

Koffi Olomidé, who is preparing the release of a new album, « Légende », has been announced to perform in Europe on 21 November in Paris la Défense, formerly the U-Arena. This concert will mark the return of the king of Congolese rumba to Europe.