Benedetto Roberti specifies involvement in USPS case
Benedetto Roberti has confirmed his involvement in the Jeff Novitzky-led United States Postal Service (USPS) investigation, according to the
Associated Press.
Roberti, the famous Italian anti-doping prosecutor, met with American federal officers at Interpol headquarters in Lyon this week, for "an exchange of information regarding the international traffic of banned substances." The Italian
confirmed to AP that the primary subject of the meeting was seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
"We need to exchange information, because this phenomenon can’t be beaten alone," said Roberti to AP. "Everyone needs to contribute. This battle can’t be won in the media. Italy is one of the few countries doing anything. In Spain, look at Contador and how
the sports authorities are defending him. France and Germany are also doing their part, and now the United States, too."
Roberti is responsible for nearly every major doping investigation in Italy over the last five years. He recently ordered that Yaroslav Popovych’s home in Tuscany be searched as part of the now-international USPS investigation.
American federal agents had ordered Popovych to testify before a grand jury in Los Angeles earlier this month while the cyclist was racing in the US. Popovych, a teammate of Armstrong’s, denied any knowledge of doping, but seized data from his laptop and
blackberry have now been entered into the investigation.
"The sport relies on sponsors and sponsors don’t pay the teams unless they win, and to win they need to use banned substances. The races are too tough. They need to reduce the kilometres. It’s impossible to think that they can complete these races as they
are without using banned substances. If they reduce the lengths, I know people will say they’ll still dope, but at least they would have less reason to."
The Spanish and Belgian authorities have also been reported to have met with the Americans, Italians and French in Lyon to participate in the investigation, and Roberti has commended the seriousness with which the American investigators are treating the
case.
Novitzky, the US Food and Drug Administration agent in charge of the investigation, has reportedly been joined by Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency; Doug Miller, American federal prosecutor; and Olivier Faraole of the FBI. The Americans are
now based at Interpol, due to its authority to collect and use evidence across international lines.
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