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World's athletics body bans Kenya's CEO

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Embattled Athletics Kenya (AK) CEO Isaac Mwangi has been on Monday evening suspended by the IAAF Ethics Board from the sport for 180 days as investigations into bribery claims against him continue.

Mwangi is the fourth senior AK leader to be suspended from the sport after president Isaiah Kiplagat, vice-president and IAAF Council Member David Okeyo and former treasurer Joseph Kinyua were slapped with bans in last November.

Last week, the CEO has been accused by banned female sprinters Francesca Koki Manunga and Joy Sakari Nakumincha for asking them to pay 24,000 U.S. dollars each to have their suspensions reduced.

Mwangi agreed to take a 21-day working leave to pave way for internal investigations.

"The Chairman of the IAAF Ethics Board (formerly Ethics Commission) Michael Beloff QC has on Monday provisionally suspended Isaac Mwangi, CEO of Athletics Kenya, from all offices or positions in either Athletics Kenya or the IAAF in the interests of the integrity of the sport," it said in a statement.

The statement said Mwangi is provisionally suspended from any office or position in either Athletics Kenya or the IAAF and is precluded from assuming any new office or position in either organisation for a period of 180 days, starting on Feb 22.

"Mwangi remains presumed innocent until the outcome of the investigation and the determination of any disciplinary charges which may follow from that investigation," it added.

Sakari and Koki alleged earlier this month that Mwangi asked them for a bribe each to reduce their ban after they tested positive for banned diuretic formicide at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Athletics held at Beijing, China.

The runners further claimed a week after they could not raise the steep amount; they received letters from the federation that they had been banned for four years each for using the masking agent, a punishment considered too heavy at the time.

Mwangi has steadfastly termed the claims as "mere fabrications", but he opted to step down from office last week to facilitate investigations led by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK). Endit