Former Sports Minister Hassan Wario of Kenya was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison after he was found guilty of embezzling money from the nation’s Olympic program.
Wario siphoned federal funds from the Kenyan Olympic Team during the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to Reuters. Wario was sports minister from 2013 to 2018 and became the country’s ambassador to Austria after his term in the Cabinet.
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Former Kenyan Olympic Committee official Stephen Soi was also sentenced to 10 years in prison or a fine of 103 million shillings in connection to the scheme, which grafted an estimated $800,000, the report added.
Authorities speculated that corruption and embezzlement were endemic among Kenyan officials in the run-up to the Rio games, compromising the $5.7 million budget set aside for the event. Despite the alleged financial impropriety, Kenya had a strong showing at the 2016 games — taking home six gold medals, six silver, and a bronze.
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President Uhuru Kenyatta began a crackdown on widespread corruption in the Kenyan government in 2018, charging a variety of officials across multiple agencies under the nation’s Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Act, according to All Africa.
After being found guilty, Wario was given the choice between prison and a fine equivalent to $32,742. Wario declined to pay.
