The United Nations diplomat, who was accused of raping a New York woman, has fled to his home country of South Sudan after using his diplomatic immunity to escape arrest and now avoid prosecution. Charles Dickens Imene Oliha, 46, returned to his own country in the early hours of Monday morning, after being released by the NYPD.
Oliha allegedly forced his way into the apartment of a 24-year-old lady who lives in his Washington Heights apartment building and raped her, according to the NYPD. He was arrested after the woman called the police but the United Nations emissary was released without being charged after he proved that he was protected from US laws by diplomatic immunity, officials said.
Misuse of Power
The woman, according to police, complained that Oliha raped her twice on Sunday afternoon after forcing his way into her Bronx apartment. Following that, he was arrested, only to be released a few hours later as he invoked his diplomatic immunity to evade jail time.
After being released by police, Oliha - who is married with four children – vanished and eventually fled to South Sudan. In a statement released on Thursday, the South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation acknowledged Oliha's return to Africa.
"It is with regret that our diplomat was involved in an alleged rape incident with one of New York City residents," the statement read.
"The leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation took the decision to immediately recall the diplomat in question, pending a full investigation from a specialized committee."
"The diplomat in question is now back in South Sudan and has been suspended from his duties," the statement further read.
If the United States now plans to bring charges against him, they will have to request South Sudan's extradition in order to bring him to justice. However, South Sudan's Foreign Affairs Ministry did not say whether they would return him to the United States for extradition.
Justice Not Served
The State Department has refrained from making any comments regarding the bizarre series of events, citing the current inquiry as justification. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is still conducting its investigation but has not yet filed any charges.
When asked about Oliha leaving the country on Thursday, a spokeswoman declined to comment.
"The D.A.'s Office is actively investigating, as well as supporting the survivor through our Witness Aid Services Unit," Emily Tuttle, Deputy Director of Communications and Senior Advisor at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement to The New York Post.
The woman said that Oliha, who lived in the same apartment building where she resides, followed her up the stairs of the apartment building and pushed his way inside to rape her just after she was returning from walking a neighbor's dog.
Oliha allegedly sexually assaulted her twice, once with and once without a condom, before running away. On Sunday night at 11 p.m., she made a police call. An hour later, Oliha was taken into custody.
According to reports, neighbors said that Oliha s an alcoholic who spends his time outside the building drinking Coors Light. "He used to tell everyone he worked for the UN but no one believed him because he was always drunk.
"It wasn't until this happened that we all were like wow he wasn't lying," one neighbor, who declined to be named, told DailyMail.com on Tuesday as cops stood guard outside Oliha's wife's apartment.
The UN has not yet made any comments on Oliha's return to South Sudan,
A spokesman from the UN said: "We are aware of this report, which is very concerning. Any case of alleged sexual assault needs to be fully investigated."
South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 to establish a Republic, and the UN later granted recognition to the new country.
