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Ekumbo in police custody as Rio fiasco probe continues
National Olympics Council of Kenya first vice-chairman Ben Ekumbo in a Nairobi court on November 22, 2016. He has offered to refund over Sh1 million of the money looted from the Rio games fund. FILE PHOTO |
What you need to know:
- Detectives close in on one of prime suspects regarding mismanagement of Olympics team
- NOC-K official held in connection with kits disappearance, bungling of Team Kenya at Games
Team Kenya’s Deputy Chef de Mission for the 2016 Olympics, Ben Ekumbo, will cool his heels in police custody for three days to allow police to complete investigations into the mismanagement of Kenyan athletes at the Games in Rio de Janeiro.
State prosecution attorney Eddy Kadebe Tuesday requested that Ekumbo, who is also the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) vice-chairman, be detained to allow for investigations.
Ekumbo, who is also the chairman of Kenya Swimming Federation, was arrested on Monday in a dramatic raid on his house in Nairobi where bales of sports equipment supplied by Nike for use by Team Kenya at the Olympics were recovered. However, no criminal charges were preferred against Ekumbo yesterday at the Kilimani Law Courts.
Senior Principal Magistrate Teresa Nyagena granted the request, saying the matter being investigated by police attached to the Serious Crimes Unit is of national importance.
INVESTIGATIONS
Nyagena directed police to finalise investigations within three days. Ekumbo will appear in court tomorrow for further direction. The magistrate took judicial notice of the fact that Ekumbo has health challenges and remanded him at Muthaiga Police Station for three days.
The magistrate was also told Ekumbo is preparing the national swimming team that will compete in the Fina World Championships in Canada on November 29 and that he could not do so while in custody.
On Monday, Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers, led by Munene Mugambi, broke the door and forced their way into Ekumbo’s house after he refused to grant them access.
Police officers recovered boxes containing training shoes, tracksuits, sandals and bags from Ekumbo’s house at Duplex Apartments along Professor Saitoti Avenue in Nairobi’s Westlands area.
Ekumbo is the fifth NOC-K official to be taken to court over the 2016 Rio Olympics scam.
Team Kenya’s Chef de Mission to the Olympics, Stephen Soi, overall team manager Pius Ochieng and NOC-K Secretary General Francis Paul as well as NOC-K treasurer Fridah Shiroya have already been charged over the mismanagement of Team Kenya at the Rio Olympics.
