International police organisation helping US investigators with case
Following the earlier news that federal officials Jeff Novitzky, federal prosecutor Doug Miller and US Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart are in France in connection with the ongoing US Postal Service team investigation, it has been reported that members of the French anti-doping agency AFLD have been interviewed by Interpol as part of the case.
According to various media reports, a source close to the matter reported that the interviews were taking place in Lyon, where the headquarters of the international police organisation is located.
The Associated Press later confirmed this, saying that an unnamed official revealed that AFLD lab director Francoise Lasne and testing director Jean-Pierre Verdy were interviewed on Tuesday at Interpol’s HQ.
In September, former AFLD head Pierre Bordry said that the AFLD would co-operate fully if requested. “If the U.S. attorneys and the U.S. Agency ask us for something in the context of a judicial mutual assistance, we will of course do so,” he said.
This was echoed this morning by an unnamed AFLD official, who said that the agency would share “everything we know, everything we have, in the fridges, in the freezers, everything, everywhere.” He added that they are prepared to answer “everything that they ask.”
AP also reported that French police officials would meet the Americans later this week at Interpol. Quoting a senior police official who also did not want to be named, it said that the meeting will deal with Floyd Landis’ allegations against Lance Armstrong, Johan Bruyneel and others on the US Postal Service team in relation to doping.
The police officials also work for the French agency that has been investigating the discovery of infusion equipment and syringes that were found during the 2009 Tour de France. The items, which were reportedly found in the trash of the Astana team which featured Armstrong, Alberto Contador and others, have been analysed but no findings have been announced.
Meanwhile Lance Armstrong’s spokesman Mark Fabiani issued a brief statement in response to the AFLD’s pledge to provide old samples for retesting. “The samples were clean when originally provided and tested. So we have nothing to be concerned about. Period,” he told VeloNation and other news media.
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The AFLD will hold a press conference this week to discuss the latest developments.