Kipchoge Keino and Former Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Hassan Wario surrendered themselves to the police on Thursday morning after a directive from the Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate, Douglas Ogoti. Mr Ogoti had on Monday directed the two to present themselves before the Directorate of Criminal Investigions (DCI) by 6am on Thursday morning.
The former Cabinet Secretary appeared in court this morning to take plea on the charges levelled against them over mismanagement of funds of close to over 50 million Kenya shillings that had been allocated to facilitate the athletes’ participation in the Rio Olympics held in 2016.
Hassan Wario, was charged with six counts of abuse of office but pleased not guilty before Chief Magistrate, Douglas Ogoti of the Anti-Corruption Court at Milimani this morning.
Kenya’s ambassador to Austria Hassan Wario denies abuse of office charges over Rio Olympics scandal pic.twitter.com/VuGVJO7OxD
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) October 19, 2018
Mr. Keino on the other hand can now exhale after he recorded a fresh statement in which it emerged that the Olympic champion was neither a signatory to any account nor did he receive any money.
“My role as the chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya was to make sure that the teams were catered for during their preparations for the Rio Olympic Games,” Mr Kipchoge told AFP.
According to sources, after being questioned for close to ten hours and analysis of evidence, the detectives decided not to charge Mr Keino. Instead, he is expected to act as a witness and the help police and prosecution in their case against the other officials in the mismanagement of about 55 million Kenya Shillings.
The former Sports Minister has been released on a two million Kenya shillings bond with an alternative of a one million Kenya shillings cash bail over the Rio 2016 Olympics scam.
With the bail granted to the Kenyan Ambassador to Austria, Kenyans now raise questions as to how the Court and the State has been handling recent cases.
Dear Kenyans,
The appropriately-named Hassan #WaRio and his co-accused made bail on the same day they were charged while Obado, Jowie, Maribe and countless others are forced to spend weeks in jail awaiting a date for their bail hearing. Are some animals more equal than others?— gathara (@gathara) October 19, 2018
Why waste taxpayer's money paying prosecutors and judges yet we all know how the case against Kipchoge Keino and Hassan Wario will end? #RioScandal
Pay a few farmers instead.— Kosgei (@ItsKosgei) October 18, 2018
No,what the court is saying is that looting is lesser a crime than murder.Even those judges are in the same looting boat.They see themselves in those looting suspects.The motivation is that of scratch my back, I scratch yours.We are dead.
— Moses (@Mosesokotholoo) October 19, 2018
SADLY Hassan Wario plus other Rio Olympics culprits will get out on bail as soon as they get arrested. We need judicial reforms.
— Peter Santoni Pere (@peter_santoni) October 13, 2018
If by now Uhuru hasn't sacked Hassan Wario,then his war on corruption will remain "aki ya Mungu" rhetoric.
— Mr. Kinuthia Pius. (@Belive_Kinuthia) October 18, 2018
Is @AreroWario still an ambassador. He should have been sacked like yesterday or these are the sacred cows of Kenya
— peter njoroge ''ss'' (@njorogepk) October 19, 2018
The trial is set to start on November 16, 2018.