Kenyan court frees officials of Olympic body

Two National Olympics Committee Kenya (Nock) officials arrested over the Rio 2016 fiasco were released on a 2000 U.S. dollars bond while a third, Chef-de-Mission Stephen arap Soi failed to appear before a Nairobi court on Monday after reportedly being admitted in hospital.

Nock Vice-chairman Pius Ochieng and Secretary General, Francis K Paul were released by Nairobi Senior Principal Magistrate Charity Olouch who said the matter will be mentioned on Sep. 19 as she set five tough conditions for their freedom.

The officials will be required to report twice a week to the country's Serious Crimes Unit at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation headquarters starting this Friday. They should not appear at any premises owned or controlled by Nock and should not contact any possible witnesses in regards to the ongoing investigation.

They will also deposit their passports in court immediately and should not move out of the country without the express permission of the court.

The prosecution asked for time to verify the admission document for Soi, who was released on police bond on Sunday, where it is reported he was rushed to the Nairobi Hospital and the judge obliged and pushed his case to Wednesday.

Earlier, the prosecution had applied for the three officials to be detained at a police station in Nairobi for 21 days as investigations to establish whether there was criminal culpability on the part of the respondents in the Rio 2016 fiasco continue.

State prosecutor, Duncan Ondimu, through an affidavit sworn by police officer Mike Kingoo Muia, told the court that investigations against the three and other persons not yet in custody relates several offences among them abuse of office, theft and neglect of official duty.

He added majority of the statement to be recorded include several sports personalities who represented the country in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the said persons are in different towns and others are yet to be back in the country.

"The investigation will stretch as far as from the day the National Trials were conducted, the residential training and up to the manner in which the Kenyan team to Rio Olympic Games was managed to be able a determination if there was criminal culpability against the suspects and other persons who are at large," argued Ondimu.

The application was however objected by the respondents' defence, Julius Githeka for Paul and Edward Rombo for Ochieng saying that the prosecution was acting due to pressure from the public.

"My clients is not capable of interfering with witnesses," Githeka argued as he opposed the second condition saying that as the administrative officer of Nock, Paul has employees to look after and he could not operate since all Nock computers were confiscated by police.

Source : XINHUA