The IAAF Ethics Commission has announced the provisionally suspensions of three senior officials of the Athletics Kenya (AK), the independent International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Ethics Commission announced on Monday (November 30).
According to a statement by the IAAF Ethics Commission, the president of Athletics Kenya Isaiah Kiplagat, the vice-president and IAAF council member David Okeyo, and the former treasurer of the Kenyan governing body Joseph Kinyua, are all provisionally suspended from any IAAF or Athletics Kenya position ‘in the interests of the integrity of the sport’.
Read full statement by the IAAF Ethics Commission:
The Chairman of the IAAF Ethics Commission, Michael Beloff QC, has today, pursuant to powers first conferred upon the Chairman by the IAAF Council on 26th November 2015, provisionally suspended from all offices or positions in either Athletics Kenya or the IAAF (1) Isaiah Kiplagat, President of Athletics Kenya; (2) David Okeyo, Vice-President of Athletics Kenya and IAAF Council Member; and (3) Joseph Kinyua, former Treasurer of Athletics Kenya and Kenya Team Leader at the IAAF 2015 World Championships, in the interests of the integrity of the sport.
Each individual is provisionally suspended from any office or position in either [link id=”199″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Athletics Kenya”] or the [link id=”175″ tax=”post_tag” text=”IAAF “] which each presently holds and is precluded from assuming any new office or position in either organization for a period of 180 days starting on 30 November 2015, pending investigation of complaints made against them and evidence and information which has been received by the IAAF Ethics Commission.
The Chairman of the Ethics Commission has imposed these Orders for Provisional Suspension having carefully considered the complaints, evidence and information referred to the Ethics Commission, which disclose prima facie cases, i.e. cases warranting investigation, against Mr Kiplagat, Mr Okeyo and Mr Kinyua in relation to (1) potential subversion of the anti-doping control process in Kenya and (2) potential improper diversion from [link id=”199″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Athletics Kenya”] of funds received from Nike.
A prima facie case has also been found to exist in respect of Mr Kiplagat in relation to receipt, personally or by Athletics Kenya, of an apparent gift of two motor vehicles from the Qatar Association of Athletics Federation in the period 2014-2015.
The Ethics Commission stresses that the imposition of Orders for Provisional Suspension in this case in no way prejudges the outcome of the investigation which will now be carried out by the Commission’s appointed investigator, Mr Sharad Rao.
Mr [link id=”703″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Kiplagat”], Mr [link id=”857″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Okeyo”] and Mr [link id=”862″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Kinyua”] remain presumed innocent until the outcome of the investigation and the determination of any disciplinary charges which may follow from that investigation.
The Ethics Commission’s appointed investigator, Mr Sharad Rao, is a former Director of Public Prosecutions in Kenya and the current Chairman of the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board, established under the Constitution of Kenya.
Mr Rao is also a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and of the Code of Conduct Commission of the International Cricket Council.
Any person with relevant information relating to these alleged breaches of the IAAF Code of Ethics is asked to contact Mr Rao by email at sharad@sharadrao.com.
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Yomog Meje is a former Nigerian junior athlete and the Associate editor at Athletics Africa.
