International   

Wemba guilty of people smuggling

Paris: The African singer, Papa Wemba (in the picture), known as the king of rumba, was found guilty on Tuesday of involvement in a people-smuggling network which brought hundreds of Congolese into France, disguised as band members. A court in Paris sentenced him to 30 months in prison and fined him euros 10,000 for helping Congolese immigrants illegally obtain visas by passing them off as members of his group. Most of the sentence was suspended and Mr. Wemba, who has already spent three months in a French jail in early 2003, will not have to serve any additional prison time. Mr. Wemba (55) had admitted playing a small role in the scam. His punishment was much lighter than the five-year prison sentence the prosecution had asked for, and was greeted with cries of delight from his many supporters who were at the court.

— © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Shock over 'killing' of CARE official
Militants sneak back into Fallujah
China for stronger ties with U.S.
Britons reject alliance with U.S.
'Scramjet' makes historic hypersonic flight
Not at war with France: Gbagbo
Rice, an indispensable aide of Bush
U.K. to deport asylum seekers
World Toilet Summit begins in Beijing
Wemba guilty of people smuggling
Russia developing new nuclear missile systems
Major clash in Nepal
Don't eat fish, says PETA
Taslima gets UNESCO award
Government ready to resume talks with LTTE, says Chandrika
Dixit in Beijing for border talks
Troop reduction augurs well for dialogue: Pakistan

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu