Doping doctor guilty – but cheating clients let off

Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes was last night found to have doped cyclists and was subsequently handed a one-year suspended jail sentence in Madrid.

But evidence collected during the seven-year investigation named ‘Operacion Puerto’, which led to the verdict, is to be destroyed, ending hopes — or fears — that former clients of Fuentes from other sports would be identified.

Fuentes and ex-cycling coach Ignacio Labarta were found guilty of carrying out medical procedures in an unsafe environment under article 361 of the Spanish penal code by Judge Julia Patricia Santamaria. The former was also fined €4,500 and banned from practicing sports medicine for four years, while Labarta got a four-month suspended jail sentence.

Ex-cycling team directors Vicente Belda [Kelme] and Manolo Saiz [Liberty Seguros-Wurth], and Fuentes’ sister Yolanda, a doctor, were acquitted of similar public health charges. No charges of illegal doping were brought, as drug-taking in sports was not illegal in Spain at the time.

Santamaria, who in court declined an offer from Fuentes to name his clients from sports other than cycling, also decided that Spanish privacy laws prohibit any evidence being passed to the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA], International Cycling Union [UCI] or the Spanish Anti-Doping Agency [AEA] for further investigation. It is understood they had all been keen to investigate wrongdoing in other sports.

Documents, computer files, and 211 bags of blood reportedly taken from 35 unknown persons, are therefore to be destroyed once the sentences have been confirmed, however AEA head Ana Munoz told reporters last night she would fight to stop that happening.

Santamaria’s verdict found that Fuentes had helped his clients cheat by using EPO, growth hormone and other banned substances.

“Eufemiano carried out, at least since 2002, conduct consistent with blood extractions... with the exclusive aim of artificially improving the physical performance of the cyclist,” it said. “It was done so that the racer would not be detected by anti-doping tests, as the transfusions took place outside competition time… this was combined with the administration of EPO, growth hormone (IGF-1), testosterone, insulin and female hormone gonadotropin. These treatments... posed an important danger to the health of the sports-person, as this elevation in haematocrit levels made the blood thicker, which could have brought thrombosis, heart-attacks...”

The three-month court case heard evidence from cyclists including Jesus Manzano, Tyler Hamilton and Jorge Jaschke. The court learned of blood extractions and transfusions taking place in Spanish hotel rooms, and of blood stored in regular fridges and carried around in bags designed to chill refreshments at the beach.

Manzano, whose interview with AS journalist Juan Gutierrez in 2004 helped bring Fuentes’ practices under the spotlight, was not awarded the €180,000 he had claimed in damages from the disgraced doctor. The whistleblower told the newspaper he was disappointed, but not shocked, by what he said appeared to be a cover-up linked to Madrid’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

“I do not understand how so much work by the Guardia Civil could be buried,” Manzano said.

“Curiously, my [cycling] team was Comunidad Valenciana, financed by public money. This is political. This is how things go in Spain, we have what we deserve.

“Now the IOC will come and we will blow our own trumpets, when we are not capable of cleaning up our own rubbish. We do not deserve the Olympic Games, I hope they do not give them to us.”

The Canary Islander worked for La Liga club Las Palmas in 2000/01, and told Marca recently that death threats have forced him not to reveal further details of his football clients.

Ex-Real Sociedad president Inaki Badiola told AS in February that Fuentes had worked for the club in the past, a claim apparently supported by documents presented in court, but denied by the Basque club. In 2009 Real Madrid and Barcelona forced Le Monde to withdraw an allegation Fuentes had worked for them in the past.

The decision by the Spanish court to have evidence destroyed has been blasted by UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson.

He said: “Dr Fuentes has admitted to having been involved in multiple prohibited doping activities and linked with multiple unnamed athletes.

“It therefore cannot be right that these names will remain unknown and that no immediate action can be taken by the anti-doping community to protect our clean athletes.”

Anti-doping organisations, who had hoped to identify other drugs cheats, and sources in WADA are hopeful the Spanish anti-doping body will be able to appeal against the decision of the Madrid court.