Kenya's Ambassador to Austria and former Sports minister Hassan Wario stands in the dock at the Mililani Court on October 19, 2018 after he was charged with corruption in the Rio Olympics and abuse of office. - Wario has been charged along with five former government and national Olympic committee officials over the misappropriation of more than 55 million shillings ($545,000). (Photo by SIMON MAINA / AFP) (Photo credit should read SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Hassan Wario and ex-National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) official Stephen Soi has been found guilty of abuse of office and misuse of public funds during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

According to a report by an investigation team commissioned by the Sports ministry, at least Sh88.6 million allocated to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) to oversee the welfare of Kenyan representatives to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was looted.

The investigation team was led by Paul Ochieng, the Dean of Students at Strathmore University.

The report said the National Olympic Committee of Kenya also diverted money and kit from U.S. sports equipment manufacturer Nike worth millions of shillings.

“Some (sports) ministry officials misappropriated Sh88,611,480 meant for air tickets. NOCK has been misappropriating Nike contract funds and kit amounting to Sh126 million per year meant for athletes since 2013,” the report said.

The court found that the Sports officials couldn’t account for Sh55 million of the Sh88 million Rio Olympics funds.

Hassan Wario Six Years in Prison, Stephen Soi Ten Years

Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Juma on Thursday sentenced Wario to a six-year jail term or pay a fine of Sh3.6 million over his involvement in the 2016 Rio Olympics scandal while his co-accused Stephen Soi was sentenced to a 10-year jail term or a fine of Sh103 million over misuse of public funds. Wario paid the fine and was freed.

In her ruling, Juma said that issues arose in the manner which tickets to attend the Olympics were raised and quickly cancelled, distribution of allowances to delegates and unutilized tickets.

“The offences have been proven beyond reasonable doubt, and a sentence proportionate to the offences should be given,” the Prosecution said.

They have been granted 14 days to appeal the decision.

The corruption case involving the two sports officials gained momentum in 2018 after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji In a statement, had said that Wario, Soi, alongside Patrick Kimathi, the former finance officer at the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts, NOCK treasurer Francis Paul Kanyili, former Principal Secretary in the Ministry Richard Ekai and director of administration Harun Komen should be charged over misappropriation of KES55 million (£415,000/$546,000/€471,000) at Rio 2016.

The DPP said that the seven should face the six counts of abuse of office and four counts of willful failure to comply with laws relating to the management of public funds, contrary to the Anti-Corruption and Economics Crimes Act.

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1071007/former-kenyan-noc-official-arrested-over-rio-2016-financial-scandal-as-charges-ordered-against-six-more