NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The South Sudan diplomat who dodged a rape charge after a woman accused him of raping her inside her Upper Manhattan apartment this week has been recalled back to his native country, according to a statement from the nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Charles Oliha, 46, was detained Sunday night, but he was released after invoking his diplomatic status.
He is now back in the East African country, members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a press release shared on Twitter Thursday.
"It is with regret that our diplomat was involved with an alleged rape incident with one of New York City['s] residents," the ministry said. "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 career diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in South Sudan has also been "suspended from his duties, awaiting the outcome of this investigation," they added.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the government of South Sudan's, and indeed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs position that sexual misconduct in any shape or form is heinous and wholly unacceptable," the diplomatic office continued.
The 24-year-old victim, who reported the incident at 11 p.m. Sunday night, had been walking her neighbor's dog when Oliha allegedly approached her and said he wanted to come to her apartment.
Despite the woman telling him she was uninterested, he followed her into her unit and raped her, she told police, sources told the Daily News. A friend later persuaded her to report the attack to police.
The victim was taken to New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in Washington Heights, near where she lives, to be evaluated.
Oliha was released from custody around 5 a.m. Monday after a discussion with police lawyers.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said the office was "actively investigating, as well as supporting the survivor through our Witness Aid Services Unit."
Sources told the Sudan Tribune that Oliha is now considered a "miscreant diplomat" known for his "undiplomatic behaviors during private functions and going to off-limits places in the areas of his assigned locations."
Mayen Dut Wol, undersecretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in South Sudan, told the paper that no one brought the allegation to the ministry in New York, adding that she learned about Oliha being detained on the news.
"Nobody came out to lodge the complaint against one of diplomats at our mission to the United Nations. If such incident has occurred, it would have been brought to our attention through appropriate and official channels," he said. "This has not happened as far as I'm concerned."
