Athletics in disarray

Officials in hot water over alleged mismanagement of funds THE continuing saga in the national athletics federation doesn’t appear like ending anytime soon after reports emerged yesterday that Dieudonné Disi, the federation’s 1st vice president faces suspension for alleged mismanagement of funds. For the third year running, the federation is embroiled in scandals of embezzlement of funds but this time it threatens to tear the body apart after top officials took sides and started throwing accusations and counter accusations against each other. The longstanding sage has pitted several federation officials including the president Gerald Ntare alongside his 2nd vice Louis Rurangirwa and the federation advisers Empimaque Nziyeyimana and Jean Pierre Munyaburanga against Secretary General Constantin Twajamahoro, Disi and the treasurer, Nadine Muterinkindi. The first group accuses the latter trio of conniving to embezzle the federation funds. Munyaburanga has already been suspended for six months, while Disi and Muterikindi are under investigation. Frw5m missing Rurangirwa told Times Sport yesterday that over Frw5m from the federation coffers is unaccounted for, and that the federation suspended Twajamahoro because, according to him, is the “principal architect for the loss of the money”. RAF top management also wants Disi to reimburse 0.7m that he took as fuel allowance for his personal car. “We suspended Twajamahoro because his hand was everywhere in the loss of the money and we highly believe that Disi and Nadine (Muterinkindi) are accomplices. (Disi) tookFrw0.7m for fuel for his car, something that is against federation rules, we have asked him to refund this money several times but he has refused,” Rurangirwa revealed. However, Disi, who is an active athlete, denied the allegations and countered that he deserves the money (Frw0.7m) because he, as he puts, used his car to carry out federation duties for 2months without the federation contributing any fuel. “Prior to the Kigali international marathon, we were using my personal car to federation work and there was a gentleman’s agreement that I would be reimbursed the fuel that was being used,” a furious Disi reacted to the allegations. An Audit commission has been set to evaluate the exact loss. It starts its work next week. RAF boss silent Meanwhile, the federation president, Ntare declined to speak to this paper for the third time since the scandal broke citing heavy work commitments. In 2009, Apollinaire Munyangoga, the then Secretary General of the federation, was sacked after failing to account for Frw700, 000 after that year’s Kigali international marathon. Last year, two officials in the federation beat up the then Secretary General Jack Ngabonziza after failing to agree on the allocation of funds. That case remains unsolved. Ends

Sports

Athletics in disarray