Koffi Olomide, one of Africa's most
popular singers, has been given a three-month suspended prison sentence
for assaulting his producer.
The rumba star, 56, was arrested
after a fracas on Wednesday at a hotel in Kinshasa, the capital of the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
Correspondents say the courtroom was packed to see the star, who leads the Quartier Latin band.
Olomide this year denied charges of raping three of his dancers in France.
The altercation with his producer, Diego Lubaki, was over a debt of 3,000 euros ($3,680, £2,345), the court heard.
'Door damaged'
Mr Lubaki said he wanted to drop the charges, but the judge continued the trial.
"He
wanted to withdraw charges in favour of social peace and peace between
him and the one he calls his 'big brother'," one of his lawyers is
quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
The
court convicted Olomide of assault and battery but acquitted him of
malicious destruction to property, after the hotel room door was damaged
in the fight.
The music he plays is known as "soukous", which
comes from the French word secouer, meaning to shake, and its dancers
are renowned for their erotic moves.
Like other Congolese musicians, he is known for his extravagant lifestyle and flashy outfits.
Born
in 1956, he won a scholarship to do a maths degree in France. On his
return to the then-Zaire, he joined the band of musician Papa Wemba,
initially as a songwriter.
He later struck out on his own and in
the 1980s his soukous style gained popularity around Africa and he has
won several Kora All Africa Music Awards.
However, his career has
not been without controversy and the raunchy performances of some of his
songs have been banned in some countries.
He sang in support of
DR Congo's President Joseph Kabila during the 2006 election campaign,
angering many of his fans in the opposition.
Olomide has battled
to hold successful tours in Europe since then, as opposition supporters
disrupt his concerts, the BBC's Patrice Chitera in Kinshasa says.
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