An Accra High Court has acquitted and discharged Lebanese national Hadad Rabih, who was accused of raping his Ghanaian house-help.
The court presided over by Justice George Buadi, said the evidence put out by the prosecution did not support the allegation of rape.
According to him, all the eight witnesses brought by the prosecution failed to corroborate the claims made by the alleged victim.
He further noted that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the offence of rape.
The decision of the judge based on law was corroborated by jury in the case who unanimously also pronounced the accused not guilty.
Background
Per the facts of the case presented by the prosecution, the 19-year-old house help was employed by Rabih and his wife in November 2017.
Ever since the house help moved into the house, the prosecutor said, Rabih had been pestering her for sex.
According to Supt Bempah, on November 30, 2017, Rabih lured the house help into one of the bedrooms upstairs and “forcibly had sexual intercourse with her when his wife and other occupants of the house had gone out.”
He explained that on December 2, 2017, Rabih requested the house help to prepare coffee for him.
“When she went to the kitchen to prepare the coffee, Rabih went to her and demanded to have sexual intercourse with her. She resisted and that infuriated Rabih, who slapped her and hit her on the neck.”
“He then dragged her into the master bedroom, stripped her naked and forcibly had sex with her on the bed,’’ he said.
Supt. Bempah said the house help reported her ordeal to a co-worker, who also gave the information out to the police.
The matter, he said, was subsequently reported to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), leading to Rabih’s arrest.
Rabih subsequently denied allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to the charge against him. He further through his lawyers during the case filed a defence of alibi.
Rabih granted bail
In 2018, an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Kofi Dorgu granted Rabih Haddad bail to the tune of five hundred thousand cedis (GHc500,000) with two sureties to be justified.
He is also to deposit his passport with the registrar of the court. This was done to give enough time to the prosecution to gather evidence.
Rabih Haddad, also took ill in December 2017 after his arrest.