Washington - (AFP) - The American R&B star appears again this week before a Chicago court hearing charges of sexual crimes against him.

Monday began the jury selection process for this trial, months after Kelly was sentenced last June to 30 years in prison in a similar case.

A New York court had convicted Robert Sylvester Kelly, 55, of running a "system" of sexual exploitation of girls, including minors, over a period of years. At the end of last June, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The Chicago court is considering charges of obstruction of justice, child pornography and illegal sexual activity with a minor.

Kelly is accused of having, along with two former accomplices, obstructed his child pornography trial in 2008 by threatening and bribing a victim not to testify. The jury acquitted him at the end of the trial that day.

But this time the same victim is expected to testify during the four-week trial, knowing that the other defendants are his former manager Darrell McDavid and his former employee Milton "John" Brown.

Kelly's attorney, Jennifer Bongan, asked that anyone who watched the documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly ," which includes conversations with several of his victims, be excluded from the jury, but Judge Harry Linneweber denied that request.

The conviction of R. Kelly in New York is a major stop in the #MeToo movement, as it was the first time that the majority of black women plaintiffs confronted a black artist.
The trial revealed R Kelly's "system" for attracting and sexually assaulting very young girls, with the complicity of his surroundings, similar to mafia activities, according to the Public Prosecution Office. Many of the victims recounted their meeting with their beloved star during the concerts, after which they received a paper with the singer's address and contact numbers on it.
Kelly also faces similar lawsuits in two other states.