BUSTO ARSIZIO, Italy -- Ivan Basso was questioned Wednesday
by a prosecutor considering criminal doping charges against the
champion cyclist, who repeated the same defense he gave to sports
officials before being suspended for two years.
The 2006 Giro d'Italia champion told Busto Arsizio prosecutor
Massimo Baraldo that the bags of blood seized by authorities in
Spain last year as part of "Operation Puerto" were his, but that
while he considered doping, he never followed through, the ANSA
news agency reported.
"I never used drugs," Basso told the prosecutor, according to
ANSA.
Calls to Basso's lawyer Massimo Martelli late Wednesday went
unanswered.
Basso was suspended last month after acknowledging involvement
in the Spanish blood-doping probe. He can't race until Oct. 24,
2008.
The prosecutor plans to make further inquiries before deciding
whether to continue with the case, ANSA said.
Doping is a criminal offense in Italy, with possible prison
sentences ranging from three months to three years for athletes and
others.