The IAAF ethics board Friday upheld the provisional suspension of Kenyan athletics chief executive Isaac Mwangi after he was accused of seeking bribes from two athletes. Mwangi was suspended in February after runners Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga said he sought bribes to reduce their four-year doping bans. The Kenyan official denied any wrongdoing and challenged the ban last month. An IAAF panel said however that while no formal charges have yet been made, "there is a prima facie case and one fit for further investigation against Mr Mwangi." It added that "the integrity of the sport could be seriously undermined if we did not maintain a provisional suspension." The panel highlighted "the gravity of the allegations" and "the risk to the sport" if Mwangi resumed his Athletics Kenya role while the investigation is carried out. The panel said that Mwangi, who was accused of seeking $24,000 from each woman, had described the athletes as "cheats" and "liars." Sakari and Manunga said during an earlier interview that he asked for the payment in an Oct. 16 meeting, but that they could not raise the money. They then were informed of their four-year bans in a Nov. 27 email, but never filed a criminal complaint because, they said, they had no proof to back up their bribery accusation and also feared repercussions. The ethics board said the athletes — who are both serving police officers — have since reiterated their allegations in signed written statements. "They state that the accounts that they gave The Associated Press, and the content of The Associated Press article dated 10 February 2016, are true," the ethics board said. The ethics board is also investigating three other senior executives from the Kenyan athletics federation for alleged corruption. The board said Mwangi has not "identified anything" that sufficiently undermines the probe for his 180-day provisional suspension to be lifted. Sakari and Manunga said the alleged Oct. 16 meeting took place at AK's headquarters in Nairobi. The ethics board said Mwangi "accepts that both he and the athletes were indeed present in the Athletics Kenya offices in Riadha House on the day in question" but says he could not have met them because his schedule was "very tight." The board said the probe should continue. — Agencies
