5th Kenyan Olympic official arrested in Rio Games scandal

A vice-president of the Kenyan Olympic committee was arrested on suspicion of theft Monday, reportedly dragged out from under his bed by police as he hid in his apartment, and it was alleged that more than $800,000 and large amounts of Nike equipment meant for athletes at the Rio de Janeiro Games was stolen by high-ranking sports officials.

National Olympic Committee of Kenya vice president Ben Ekumbo, who is also head of the swimming federation, was arrested at his home in Nairobi by officers of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation police unit. Ekumbo was found under his bed when police forced their way in, Kenyan media reported.

Ekumbo is accused of stealing athlete apparel provided by Kenya's team sponsor Nike and police removed boxes of clothes and other equipment from his apartment when they arrested him. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

He is the fifth senior Olympic committee official to be arrested after an investigation into missing money and equipment was ordered by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta following the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Four officials were arrested in September: Kenya's team leader at the Rio Olympics, Stephen Arap Soi, was charged with stealing over $250,000 that was meant to be used for athletes' travel, accommodation and other expenses in Rio. Another vice-president of the Olympic committee, Pius Ochieng, and secretary-general Francis Kinyili Paul were charged with stealing Nike kit. They all denied the charges and are out on bail.

The other official, committee treasurer Fridah Shiroya, had charges against her dropped and she is expected to be a state witness and testify against the others.

Follows report of misappropriated funds

Monday's arrest of Ekumbo, who was the deputy team leader under Arap Soi at the Olympics, follows revelations in a report that investigators believe around $860,000 meant for Kenya's Olympic team may have been misappropriated by officials at the Olympic committee and the sports ministry. The report by a committee investigating the allegations also said that the Kenyan Olympic committee should account for the $1.2 million it receives every year from Nike.

The report has not been officially released but parts of it have been seen by The Associated Press.

Kenyan sport, and specifically athletics, is in turmoil with the senior leadership of the track and field federation and now the Olympic committee facing allegations of major corruption.

Athletics Kenya's vice-president, chief executive, secretary-general and former treasurer all face allegations of seeking bribes to suppress doping cases, while three of them are accused of also embezzling sponsorship money from Nike. Athletics Kenya president Isaiah Kiplagat was also suspended pending an investigation, but he died in August.

Kenya's Olympic committee was disbanded by the government in the wake of the Rio scandal. The International Olympic Committee, which does not allow governments to interfere in national Olympic bodies, demanded Kenya re-establish it or face being suspended.