NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Running great Kip Keino has been given more time to report to police in Kenya after being one of seven former Olympic and government officials accused of corruption relating to the misappropriation of more than $545,000.
FILE – In this Friday, May 5, 2017 file photo, Incumbent head of Kenya’s National Olympic Committee Kipchoge ‘Kip’ Keino, attends a meeting on the day committee elections were supposed to take place in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya’s director of public prosecutions said on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018 that distance-running great Keino and six other former officials will be charged with corruption relating to the alleged misappropriation of more than $545,000 that was meant to help fund the country’s team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Keino, a trailblazer for Kenyan runners and a gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, was head of the national Olympic committee until last year. (AP Photo/Sayyid Abdul Azim, File)
The seven were ordered to report to police and appear in court on Monday but Keino was one of four who did not.
A judge extended their deadline until 6 a.m. Thursday and ordered they then appear in court Friday to enter pleas. The judge said if they didn’t hand themselves in on Thursday warrants for their arrest would be issued.
Former Kenyan sports minister Hassan Wario is one of the suspects and also did not appear on Monday.
The case relates to money set aside to fund Kenya’s team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics but was allegedly embezzled and misused by Keino and the others. Keino was the head of the Kenyan Olympic committee at the time.
The three who did appear in court were former Olympic committee secretary general Francis Kanyili, Rio team manager Stephen Arap Soi and former sports ministry official Richard Ekai.
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