French-Senegalese Kabirou Mbodj, the boss of the money transfer service Wari, was indicted last week in Paris for rape, charges he disputes, according to AFP, citing sources.
Mr Mbodj has been placed under judicial supervision following the indictment on 13th October, the French daily Le Parisien reported.
He is alleged to have committed three rapes during the same evening and a fourth earlier in the year.
But Philippe Zeller the lawyer for Mr Mbodj, told AFP: “My client, whose identity I cannot confirm, strongly denies the charges against him. He is perfectly serene. The instruction will shed light on the facts and the reality of this file.”
The businessman, like his company, has been going through a difficult period for several years, marked by competition from new operators and legal troubles.
Mr Mbodj was notably sentenced to two years in prison, including six months in prison, by the Dakar Criminal Court for “misuse of corporate assets” after a legal tussle which pitted him against former collaborators.
This digital financial and commercial services platform, widely used in money transfers, was one of the flagships of Senegalese fin-tech in the 2010s. Wari opened many outlets in The Gambia.
In 2008, Mr Mbodj, Seyni Camara, Malick Fall and Cheikh Tague created Wari (meaning “money” in Bambara). The hybrid platform sells its own applications and those of its partners. Disputes subsequently pitted him against his former associates, who accused him of embezzlement.
