Investigations against 3 suspended Athletics Kenya officials nears completion

Nairobi, Feb 1 (IANS) Investigations against three suspended top Athletics Kenya (AK) officials accused of undermining the anti-doping process are almost complete, according to media reports.

The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), however, on Tuesday declined to disclose whether charges would be preferred against the federation chiefs -- David Okeyo (Deputy President), Isaac Mwangi (CEO) and Joseph Kinyua (former Treasurer), reports Xinhua.

Then trio were suspended by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Ethics Commission.

ADAK CEO Japhter Rugut said on Tuesday the country's Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) - a judicial body established to deal with disputes related to sport - is in charge of the local investigations into accusations the officials subverted the anti-doping process by seeking bribes from drug cheats to shorten bans or do away with sanctions altogether.

"Some of them have already been subjected to the result management process, after finding there was indeed violation of the anti-doping process in line with the Anti-Doping Act," Rugut told local website Citizen Digital on Tuesday.

"The management process has stages too. We have around 15 cases there with some at the initial mention while others are at conclusion phase. Two are already concluded but I cannot mention which ones," he explained.

He was speaking in Nairobi when ADAK signed a renewed agreement with Norway's Anti-Doping body (ADNO) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that seeks to establish a robust anti-doping regime in the country where 52 athletes have tested positive for banned substances.

Okeyo, Kinyua and the late AK President Isaiah Kiplagat were suspended by the IAAF Ethics Board in December 2015 with Mwangi banned from the sport in February 2016.

The Ethics Board appointed lawyer Sharad Rao to investigate the cases against the federation bosses and he is yet to conclude his probe.

Following the establishment and entrenchment of ADAK into the country' s constitution last year, all doping cases in the country were forwarded to them for investigations separate from those by the Ethics Board.

Their verdict last year to absolve Mwangi from any blame after he was accused by two female sprinters who competed at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, were rebuffed by the board that extended his suspension.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)