Koffi Olomidé Guilty Of R-pe Of 15-Year-Old Girl

Koffi Olomidé, one of Africa’s most popular singers, has been found guilty of the statutory r-pe of one of his former dancers when she was 15.

He was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence by a court in France in absentia, as he failed to turn up.

The ruling means the Congolese star only faces arrest if he commits further offences, says the BBC’s Nadir Djennad.

Olomidé, 62, was ordered to pay 5,000 euros ($5,700; £4,300) in damages to the former dancer.

The court in Nanterre, outside Paris, also ordered him to pay a fine of the same amount for helping three women enter France illegally.

Olomidé’s lawyer has hailed the ruling as a victory, telling journalists it would result in the withdrawal of the star’s international arrest warrant.