R. Kelly to fight charge

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R. Kelly

R. Kelly plans to plead not guilty to a bribery charge relating to his 1994 marriage to late singer Aaliyah.

The I Believe I Can Fly hitmaker was slapped with the additional count by prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York last week, when they accused Kelly of paying off an Illinois public official to provide falsified documents allowing the then-27 year old to wed Aaliyah when she was only 15.

Their marriage certificate, which was leaked at the time, listed the young star's age as 18.

Kelly's former manager, Demetrius Smith, revealed he had purchased a fake ID for Aaliyah in the docuseries Surviving R. Kelly.

The troubled R&B veteran, who is currently behind bars on various sexual assault charges, is due to appear via a video link for the 18 December hearing in Brooklyn, and his attorney, Steven Greenburg, has filed papers indicating his client's plan to fight the bribery allegation, reports The Blast.

The marriage to Aaliyah didn't last as her parents learned about the secret union days later, and forced her to have it expunged.

She never publicly commented on the relationship, and the Brooklyn-born singer died in a 2001 plane crash.

Kelly is currently facing four separate cases in three different states on charges that include kidnapping, forced labor, possession of child pornography, engaging in prostitution with a minor, and moving girls across state lines for sex.

He has denied all counts.