Hassan Wario © Gallo Images |
Hassan Wario and former Kenyan Olympic
committee official Stephen Soi, the 2016 team’s chef de mission, were both
found guilty after some of the money set aside to pay for flights and
accommodation at the Rio de Janeiro Games and fund the team’s preparations was
misappropriated.
Magistrate Elizabeth Juma scheduled a
sentencing hearing for Wario and Soi for Thursday. The two remained in custody.
Former Kenyan Olympic committee secretary
general Francis Paul and three other sports ministry officials were acquitted.
There were allegations that corruption in the
buildup and during the Rio Games was rife among Kenyan government and sports
officials, who were accused of stealing money from the $5.7 million Olympic
budget and some of the $700,000 given to the track and field federation by
sponsor Nike.
David Okeyo, the former vice president of
Athletics Kenya and a council member at the world track body, was banned from
the sport for life in 2018 for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars of
the Nike money.
Wario, who was sports minister from 2013-2018,
is the most senior government official to be convicted of corruption in
relation to the Olympic scandal. He was Kenya’s ambassador to Austria when he
was arrested and charged.
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