MADRID, Jan 17, 2009 (AFP) – Spanish justice is to re-open the Operation
Puerto probe into blood doping in cycling, Spain’s biggest doping
investigation, which a judge had left on file last September, a judicial
source said Monday.

A provincial court in Madrid on January 12 revoked its September decision
to shelve the case because it said there were indications that an offense
against public health laws had taken place, the source told Bicycle.net.

Public prosecutors, the Spanish Sports Council (CSD), and the Spanish
Cycling Federation, the International Cyclign Union and the World Anti-Doping
Agency were amongst those calling for the probe to be re-opened.

Dr Eufemiano Fuentes, former doctor for the Kelme team, is alleged to have
been the mastermind of a vast blood doping network, following a police raid on
his Madrid laboratory in May 2006 which uncovered doping products and 100 bags
of blood products .

Police raided several residences and uncovered hundreds of doses of
anabolic steroids, blood products, a list of cyclists the samples were
apparently being prepared for and also machines to transfuse them.

Although around 200 athletes from various sports were initially said to
have been involved, the subsequent investigation focused solely on the 50-60
cyclists alleged to be implicated in the network.

Italian star Ivan Basso was the biggest victim of an investigation which
also led, indirectly, to the retirement of former Tour de France winner Jan
Ullrich of Germany.

Basso admitted to being implicated in the affair and has recently returned
from a two-year ban. He was snared by a codename on a blood bag, labelled with
the name of his dog ‘Birillo’.

Ullrich denied all involvement, but suspicions – and a positive DNA match
on blood found at Fuentes’ laboratory – ultimately led to the German’s
decision to hang up his bike before any serious sanction could be handed down.

Since the affair came to light, Spain has passed legislation earmarking
jail terms for doping offenses on the grounds that it is a matter for
safeguarding public health.

But on September 29, examining magistrate Antonio Serrano ruled the
investigation should lie on file, having already done so initially in March
2007 on the grounds that Spain’s new anti-doping laws could not be applied
retroactively to May 2006.

In the first instance, the prosecution appealed and the affair was
re-opened.

The prosecutor’s office then appealed anew following the September decision.