사우디 왕자, 美가정부 성폭행 무혐의···폭행 혐의는 남아있어
* ‘아시아엔’ 연수 외국기자가 작성한 기사의 한글요약본과 원문을 함께 게재합니다.
[아시아엔=라드와 아시라프 기자·번역 최정아 기자] 미국 로스엔젤레스(이하 LA)에서 성폭행을 저지른 혐의로 기소된 사우디아라비아 왕자가 무혐의로 풀려날 것으로 보인다.
LA 검찰은 “마제드 압둘라지드 알 사우드 왕자(28) 성폭행 혐의에 대해 증거 불충분으로 무혐의 처리를 내릴 것이다”라며 “하지만 성폭행 혐의를 제외한 폭행, 불법감금 등에 대한 혐의는 아직 조사중”이라고 지난 19일(현지시간) 발표했다.
알 사우드 왕자는 9월21일 오후 3시께 베버리 힐즈에 위치한 자택에서 가정부에게 구강성교를 강요했으며, 가정부가 이를 거부하자 폭행을 저질렀다.
현재 피해자 3명은 알 사우드 왕자를 성폭행, 불법감금, 남녀차별과 보복행위, 폭행죄 혐의에 대한 손해배상을 청구한 상태다. 알 사우드 왕자는 9월23일 보석금 30만달러(3억4천만원)를 내고 구치소에서 풀려났다.
한편 알 사우드 왕자의 저택은 약 619평(2만2천 평방피트)에 달하며 20여명의 직원 및 가정부가 근무중이다.
Saudi prince avoids alleged sex assaults’ charges in LA
Los Angeles County prosecutors said they will not file charges against a Saudi prince citing insufficient evidence. The Saudi royalty was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at a compound on the edge of Beverly Hills.
Majed Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 28, was arrested last month after a female worker accused him of trying to force her to perform a sex act on him inside a Beverly Glen residence he was renting, police said. Police alleged there were multiple victims, and within days of Al-Saud’s arrest three women sued him in civil court.
Although prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for felony charges, the case was referred to the L.A. city attorney’s office, which could charge him with a misdemeanor. Officials in that office said they would have to review the case before making any decisions, according to reports by the Los Angeles Times.
Al-Saud has said he was innocent, his attorney Alan Jackson said, “The allegations against him are false.” “The decision by the D.A.’s office not to file charges shows that the accuser’s stories cannot be substantiated. The sheik is very happy to put it behind him and move on with his life,” Jackson continues.
Al-Saud has remained in Southern California, free on $300,000 bail, since his arrest Sept. 23, Jackson said. A court appearance scheduled for Monday did not occur because he wasn’t charged, officials said.
A civil lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court on Sept. 25 says he attacked other women inside the home for several days.
The suit, filed by three women identified only as Jane Does, accuses him of “extreme,” “outrageous” and “despicable” behavior that ended in his arrest. Mr. Jackson claims these women’s accusations as “some kind of shakedown for money”.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and says that Al-Saud inflicted emotional distress, assault and battery, sexual discrimination and retaliation against the workers.
Al-Saud was detained by police for hours last month after neighbors reported seeing a bleeding woman screaming for help as she tried to scale an 8-foot-high wall that surrounds the property. After police interviewed other people inside the residence, they arrested Al-Saud on suspicion of forcing oral copulation.