Ex-Sports CS Wario wants his conviction quashed

The High Court has granted Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) 14 days to file his written arguments in response to an appeal lodged by former Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario challenging his conviction for abuse of public office.

Wario was sentenced last year to pay a fine of Sh3.6 million or serve six years in jail by the anti-corruption court in Nairobi over the siphoning of public funds meant for athletes in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Justice Esther Maina Tuesday directed the prosecutors to file their pleadings so that the appeal can proceed to a hearing.

The judge is scheduled to mention the case on November 3.

In the appeal, Wario wants the High Court to quash his conviction and sentencing.

He claims that both the sentence and conviction were illegal and a miscarriage of justice since there was no evidence of wastage of public funds in the Rio 2016 games

Wario, who was among senior government officials to be convicted for corruption during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime, wants the High Court to set aside the sentence imposed by the trial court in September last year.

He also wants the judge to order that he be refunded the Sh3.6 million fine he paid to secure his freedom.

He claims that he was wrongly convicted and sentenced and that the trial magistrate Elizabeth Juma erred in finding that the abuse of office allegations levelled against him had been proven by the prosecution.

Wario was convicted by the magistrate for three offences related to abuse of office in connection with the loss of public funds.