Koffi Olomidé cleared of rape but convicted of holding dancers against their will

An appeals court in France has cleared Congolese artiste Antoine Christophe, popularly known as Koffi Olomide, of sexually assaulting four of his former dancers.

The court overturned a 2019 ruling that had found the Rhumba maestro guilty of statutory rape of one of the dancers when she was 15.

However, Olomide has been slapped with an 18-month suspended sentence after he was convicted of holding the dancers against their will at a villa in Paris between 2002-2006.

The public prosecutor had had called for a minimum sentence of eight years.

"His accusers would obviously be disappointed about the sexual assault verdicts because for them this was the most important thing", said lawyer David Desgranges who was representing three of the women.

In overturning the sexual assault verdict, the court cited "changing and sometimes contradictory evidence" from his accusers.

In addition to the suspended sentence, the 65-year-old musician has been ordered to pay a fine of between KSh1.2 million and KSh4.1 million to each dancer.

Koffi Olomide recently cancelled a concert in Kenya that was scheduled for 11th December 2021. In 2016, he was deported and his visa permanently revoked following a viral video of him kicking one of his female dancers.