Papa Wemba, the Congolese music star accused of involvement in an illegal immigration scam, was questioned in Belgium on Tuesday after his arrest and extradition from France, officials said.
”He arrived in Brussels during the day and he’s being questioned by investigators and the examining magistrate, Herve Louvot,” said a lawyer for the 53-year-old Afropop musician, Christine Calewaert.
The singer, whose real name is Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, was arrested at his house in the Paris region earlier on Tuesday.
He was imprisoned in France last year after being placed under judicial investigation for people trafficking but was released after three-and-a-half months in detention when he posted bail of 30 000 euros ($38 600).
He was suspected of using his musical activities to smuggle some 150 nationals of his native Democratic Republic of Congo into France, making around 3 500 euros per person. He is wanted on similar charges in Belgium.
Wemba’s French lawyer, Yves Leberquier, said the singer had reached an agreement with the Belgian and French authorities on his extradition to Belgium. The questioning in Brussels would determine whether he is placed under formal investigation, Leberquier said. – Sapa-AFP