ROME — The Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping prosecutor confronted Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde on Thursday with DNA evidence and documents that allegedly show he was in contact with a doctor at the center of the Operation Puerto blood doping case in Spain.
The rider maintained his innocence during questioning at Rome’s Olympic Stadium.
“Except a brief oral summary of the presumed proofs the CONI thinks it possesses against me, no document was brought in relation with the deeds which they attribute to me,” Valverde said in a statement. “I am convinced about the fact that, finally, absolutely no doubt will be left about the fact that I am innocent.”
Valverde was also notified that the Italian judiciary had opened a separate criminal probe into his alleged role in Operation Puerto. The Caisse d’Epargne rider did not speak to reporters after the 45-minute hearing.
His Italian lawyer, Federico Cecconi, said the cyclist tried to “clarify that he had no part” in the affair and was “confident he will be cleared.”
Cecconi said he would present the defense’s written arguments in the coming days.
Prosecutor Ettore Torri said the case against Valverde is based on a DNA match between samples taken during the Italian leg of last year’s Tour de France and a blood bag seized in a 2006 raid on the doctor’s blood doping clinic in Madrid.
After tests conducted by Italy’s forensic police, “we can now say with certainty that it’s his blood,” Torri said.
Torri said documents found in the raid also link Valverde to the doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes. The documents indicate what the rider paid and what substances he used, the prosecutor said.
Torri said Valverde and his lawyers did not respond to specific allegations, arguing instead that Italian sports authorities have no jurisdiction on the case.
Spain’s judiciary has questioned the use of blood found in the raid as evidence by the Italian committee. On Wednesday, the Madrid court handling the Puerto affair said that evidence gathered in an investigation into an alleged offense in Spain cannot be used in a probe of another alleged offense elsewhere.
“My legal representative in the procedure requested the data on which the CONI draws on to take jurisdiction in this affair but that point was not cleared up,” said Valverde, who added that he would continue to prepare for the cycling season.
The Italians said they were within their rights to prosecute Valverde and that evidence had been collected according to the rules.
More than 50 cyclists were originally linked to the Puerto doping ring, including top riders like Ivan Basso of Italy.
After initially being implicated in the investigation, Valverde was banned by the International Cycling Union from competing in the 2007 World Road Racing Championships.
The UCI had called on the Spanish cycling federation to open proceedings against him, but it declined to do so, and eventually Valverde was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to compete at the championships.
In 2008, the 28-year-old Valverde won the UCI ProTour and the opening stage of the Tour de France.
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