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A Spanish judge refuses to release Puerto evidence to cycling authorities
A Spanish judge has once again blocked efforts by cycling authorities to get their hands on evidence from the Operación Puerto doping ring.
Antonio Serrano — the Spanish judge who’s handled the legal proceedings since police blew the lid open on the Spanish doping scandal in May 2006 — ruled Wednesday to deny releasing Puerto evidence to the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC).
Officials from RFEC asked Spanish courts to release evidence gathered during the high-profile police raids dating back nearly three years ago in order to try to impose appropriate racing sanctions on Spanish racers alleged to be connected to the doping ring.
In May 2006, police confiscated nearly 200 bags of blood and plasma along with stores of doping products and diaries that outlined code names and doping schedules in a string of raids. Nearly 60 professional riders were allegedly linked to the extensive blood doping ring.
Five people were arrested, including alleged ringleader Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, but so far, no prosecutions have been successful.
A stronger anti-doping law has since been approved, but Spanish courts say that the Puerto scandal can only be prosecuted under previously existing, less stringent laws.
Legal proceedings are moving slowly, however. An appeal court last fall ruled that certain Spanish laws might have been broken and ordered new oral hearings and other testimony to be gathered in the case.
In his latest denial, Serrano ruled he was unable to release the evidence to RFEC because the case is still open to a legal appeal.
RFEC released a statement Friday stating its “total and absolute disagreement” with the ruling and demanded that evidence be released to the governing body.
Serrano had previously denied efforts by RFEC to obtain access to the evidence so that it could open appropriate disciplinary actions.
So far, no Spanish riders have been sanctioned for alleged links to the Puerto scandal.
Alejandro Valverde, however, is facing a possible two-year racing ban by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), which insists it has linked Valverde to one of the pouches of blood discovered in Fuentes’ office.
Valverde has denied the charges and is scheduled to race this weekend at Amstel Gold Race in Holland.
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