Court grants Lebanese rape suspect GH¢500,000 bail

The Accra High Court has granted bail to Rabih Haddad, the 39 year-old Lebanese alleged to have raped his 19- year -old house help.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Kofi Dorgu, granted bail to Haddad in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties.

One of the sureties must be a gainfully employed Ghanaian with a fixed place of abode.

Haddad has also been ordered to submit his passport to the court registry and also seek permission from the court if he wants to travel outside its jurisdiction.

In the ruling to grant the bail, the court held that the actions of the prosecution showed that it was now fishing for evidence to prosecute the accused.

Haddad, the court said, should not be on remand while the prosecution continues with its fishing of evidence.

Read also: Police Hospital, Crime Lab give conflicting results in Lebanese rape case

Facts

Per the facts of the case, 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.