Matthew Borghese - AHN Editor
Paris, France (AHN) - Algerian singer Cheb Mami (real name Mohammed Khalifati) has been sentenced to five years in prison for an alleged plot to force his then-girlfriend to have an abortion. The trial took place in France, where the unnamed woman lives.
Mami, a successful rai singer who has brought the art to the world stage, admitted in open court that he never wanted the child, but claimed his manager was behind the abduction and botched abortion.
Mami was indicted in 2006, but skipped bail and avoided prosecution for years. On Monday, he returned to France, saying he wanted to stand trial and answer for the charges. He was found guilty on charges of causing bodily harm, sequestration and issuing threats against the woman.
The woman told Cheb Mami she was pregnant and claims a day later she was attacked while staying at the house of one of his friends. "They insulted me. They threw me on the mattress and tore off my pants... I was given three shots with needles, one woman pressed against my stomach and the other put her hand in my vagina and started scraping," the woman testified according to AFP.
Cheb Mami made waves in the United States when pop legend Sting used some of his background vocals for his 1999 hit single 'Desert Rose'.
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