Former Sports CS Wario fined Sh3.6million or serve six-year jail term in Rio case
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has been fined Sh3.6 million after being convicted of abuse of office in the Rio Olympics graft case.
This is after an Anti-Corruption court found him alongside former National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) assistant treasurer Stephen Arap Soi guilty of graft and abuse of office that led to loss of public funds during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Meanwhile, Soi has also been fined Sh105 million or serve a 12-year jail term.
Anti-corruption Magistrate Elizabeth Juma, while sentencing the two noted that Wario and his co-accused used their positions in contradiction of the law.
Juma had yesterday said that Wario took advantage of his office and added an additional three people to the list of Team Kenya and had them paid allowances yet he had no mandate to do so.
Juma ruled that said there was wastage of public money during the Rio fiasco and Wario did not have mandate to allow the additional three people to travel as Team Kenya cohort.
“There was a misuse of money during the Rio Olympic Games. Anyone who played a role in the planning of the Olympics was included in the travel. This is not the Spirit of the Olympic Charter. The budget for the games should be tailored on the needs,” she said.
Wario was found guilty of willfully failing to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to management of public funds.
The trio who were irregularly enlisted in the delegation are; Monica Sairo, Richard Abura and Edan Adow.
Wario was however acquitted on the charge of engaging in a project without planning.
The planning was for the Rio Olympics.
He defended himself by saying his role in the Human Resource manual allows him to mandate an official to travel saying it was within his mandate to allow the people to travel out of the country.
He testified the Rio ‘fiasco’ was all lies and bad publicity created by sports coach John Anzara.
All the other four accused persons have been acquitted of the charges levelled against them for lack of sufficient evidence.
They include former Principal Secretary Richard Ekai, Haron Komen, former Director of Administration at the Ministry of Sports, Francis Kinyili and Patrick Kimathi Nkabu.
