Italian coach now charged in Eldoret
Published on June 28, 2008, 12:00 am
By Biketi Kikechi
THE Italian athletics coach arrested in Iten on Wednesday has been charged for allegedly operating in the country without a work permit.
Monsignor Renato Canova was first held at Eldoret Police Station before taken to court yesterday afternoon.
"We arrested him this morning and took him to court to answer charges relating to his work permit," said Keiyo OCPD Anjelus Karuru.
His arrest and subsequent appearance in court was clouded under secrecy. Canova was whisked out of the court premises after photographers staking for pictures walked away.
Former Kenyan athletes led by Yobes Ondieki and Joseph Cheromei engaged Standard cameraman Peter Ochieng in a scuffle trying to stop him from taking pictures of Qatari athletes that Canova has been coaching.
The athletes led by Saif Saeed Shaheen formely Stephen Cherono were in the company lawyers representing the coach. Canova coaches Shaheen, William Kalya and Albert Chepkurui among other Kenyan immigrants who defected to Qatar. The former athletes demanded to know why The Standard team carried a story about the Italians arrest on Wednesday.