Three former officials of Kenya's disbanded Olympic committee have been charged with theft and fraud offences relating to this year's Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The Olympic rings at Rio's Copacabana Beach Photo: AFP
The east African nation bagged its biggest ever haul of medals in Brazil but doping allegations and organisational problems plagued preparations for the event.
A charge sheet seen by Reuters showed two of the officials - Francis Paul and Pius Ochieng - are accused of failing to declare uniforms donated by sports goods manufacturer Nike between June and July.
A third official, Stephen Arap Soi, was charged with two counts of theft involving more than 350 thousand dollars and other related offences.
Part of the money was meant to meet accommodation costs for officials accompanying the Kenyan team in Rio de Janeiro.
All the officials pleaded not guilty during a court session in Nairobi and were released on bail.
The trial will start on October 24th.
The officials were arrested on their return from Rio at the end of August over their roles in the alleged mismanagement of the Kenyan team's preparations for the Games.
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) was disbanded on August 25th following public pressure and a directive from President Uhuru Kenyatta for the situation to be investigated.
- Reuters
