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Charles Dickens Imene Oliha, 46, fled to his native South Sudan after dodging Manhattan rape charges due to his diplomatic immunity (Facebook / Charles Dickens)

 

The South Sudanese envoy accused of raping his Manhattan neighbor earlier this week fled to his homeland after dodging charges in the city, officials confirmed.

Charles Dickens Imene Oliha, 46, allegedly raped a 24-year-old woman who lives in his Washington Heights apartment building after he forced his way into her apartment Sunday afternoon, police said.

Oliha was taken into custody after his accuser called the NYPD, but the United Nations emissary was released without being charged after cops found he was protected from US laws by diplomatic immunity, officials said.

South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation confirmed that Oliha had returned to Africa in a statement released Thursday.


 
An exterior shot of 64 Wadsworth Terrace.
Oliha is accused of raping a woman that lives in his Wadsworth Terrace apartment building in Washington Heights (Tomas E. Gaston)

 

Cops at building
The NYPD took the suspect in for questioning but were forced to release him after learning he enjoyed diplomatic immunity (Tomas E. Gaston)

 

“It is with regret that our diplomat was involved in an alleged rape incident with one of New York City residents,” the statement read.

“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 diplomat in question is now back in South Sudan and has been suspended from his duties.”

The ministry did not specify if South Sudan would extradite the suspect back to the states if Manhattan prosecutors filed charges against him.

“The D.A.’s Office is actively investigating, as well as supporting the survivor through our Witness Aid Services Unit,” Emily Tuttle, Deputy Director of Communications and Senior Advisor at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a statement to The Post.

The ministry said South Sudan had “worked tirelessly… to ensure the rights of women and girls are protected” since the country’s inception in 2011.

The young nation has been plagued by widespread torture, rape and sexual abuse amid a seven-year civil war that ended in 2020, according to the United Nations.

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