Koffi Olomide aka Mopao Mokonzi in Jail

By Msema Kweli
Reports reaching us have it that Congolese musician, Koffi Olomide spent wednesday night behind bars after Gombe Court remanded him for malicious damage to property and assaulting Diego Lubaki, the producer of his latest album-Abracadabra.

Koffi reportedly appeared on the same day in the Court of  flagrancy of Gombe peace for assault charges. The judge decided to keep him in custody.

The hearing resumes on Thursday 16 August with the pleadings and the indictment, according to the reports.

He was arrested Wednesday at Ndiaye music studio. Koffi is accused of assaulting and battering Diego Music Lubaki and malicious destruction of hotel facilities where the incident occurred.

Koffi and his producer had misunderstandings resulting from a debt of Euros 3000 he owed his producer. However, Diego told Gombe court that Koffi owed him Euros 6,000.

During the fight,the door to hotel room and some of Lubaki Diego property were damaged.

Three witnesses, all employees of the Hotel Venus, made their depositions against Koffi. But their testimony has been inconsistent.

The first two said they saw the head of the orchestra Latin Quarter administer a kick at Diego Lubaki, saying he was arguing a suitcase belonging to the producer.

The third witness, the manager of the hotel, said she had seen Koffi walking up to the room in which Diego Lubaki stayed without being reported to the reception.

The first two witnesses had said they had seen Koffi taking the elevator to reach Diego’s room. The incident occurred around 10 am.

However, faced with this contradiction, the defense testified there was no evidence and called for his client’s innocence .

The courtroom was packed. Several artists, journalists and supporters of Koffi stormed the Prosecutor General of the Republic when they learned of the arrest of the head of the Latin Quarter.

Two of Koffi’s fans were arrested for disrupting the audience, loudly manifesting their support for Koffi. Late in the evening, the reports say,  lawyers for Diego Lubaki council presented him with a sly act of withdrawal of a civil party. The latter still hesitated to endorse it at the end of the trial.