Cookson says document is ‘very similar’ to dossier compiled by investigators into McQuaid
UCI presidential candidates Pat McQuaid and Brian Cookson have both responded to the release of what is claimed to be a synopsis of the dossier compiled earlier this year by private investigators and alleging corruption on the part of McQuaid, former president Hein Verbruggen and the UCI.
The synopsis was sent by both post and email to VeloNation in recent days, although the sender was not identified.
It was also obtained by the American website VeloNews, and printed there late yesterday.
It is thought that the original dossier, which was spoken about at a management committee meeting in June, has not been released in order to protect the identities of the witnesses who have come forward.
McQuaid has questioned the claims made in the document, which include allegations of unethical behaviour relating to Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, unnamed teams, the Vrijman report and other matters.
McQuaid has claimed repeatedly not to have seen the dossier, which the document states was written by two senior law enforcement and intelligence officials who claim to have been assisted by an ‘internationally known private investigative firm with offices across the globe.’
Responding to the document’s claims, McQuaid has issued a strong denial.
“The claims in this so-called dossier are a complete fabrication. They are totally untrue and are not supported by a scintilla of evidence,” said the UCI president.
“This is a scurrilous and libellous attack on my character, with a political agenda that is both nakedly transparent and totally contemptible – and unfortunately one that is completely in character with the tactics of my opponents.”
McQuaid said that the UCI Ethics Commission had sought to investigate the matter. “The Ethics Commission asked for a copy of the dossier from Igor Makarov and Mike Plant, but both of them refused to hand it over to the Ethics Commission. That fact alone speaks volumes.”
However McQuaid’s presidential rival Brian Cookson has said that the allegations echo what were already told to the management committee and need to be investigated.
“These allegations, which appear to be similar to those made to the UCI Management Committee in June, are clearly very serious,” he stated today. “For the good of the UCI and cycling, they should be immediately and thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities. I hope that this matter can be fully resolved before the UCI congress on 27 September.
The claims add to the uncertainty over McQuaid as the election approaches. His nomination has been under question as both Cycling Ireland and Swiss Cycling have rescinded their backing of him.
He claims he can rely on nominations from the Moroccan and Thai federations, although the wording of the relevant article of the UCI Constitution, 51.1, has often been interpreted as referring to a candidate’s home federation. He is from Ireland, he lives in Switzerland, but he has no direct connection to either Morocco or Thailand.
Last week five federations requested that McQuaid allow the Court of Arbitration for Sport to determine if his interpretation of Article 51.1 is indeed correct. They said that because of the need for transparency in the sport plus the necessity that there is faith in the leadership, that it was vital for the election to be run without questions of improper behaviour.
The UCI has refused this request, saying instead that the matter will be brought up at the UCI’s Congress at the end of this month.