Paolini, Mazzoleni and Basso’s sister charged in doping conspiracy
Luca Paolini (Acqua & Sapone), Eddy Mazzoleni, Ivan Basso's sister and 26 others have been charged with doping after a four-year investigation, the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported Saturday.
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Luca Paolini (Acqua & Sapone), Eddy Mazzoleni, Ivan Basso’s sister and 26 others have been charged with doping after a four-year investigation, the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported Saturday.
Among the co-accused to be tried in Bergamo, northern Italy, is the retired Mazzoleni, who finished third in the 2007 Giro d’Italia, the paper said. Elisa Basso, the sister of cycling star Ivan Basso, is also among the accused, the report said, adding that Ivan Basso was not investigated in the probe.
A preliminary hearing is set for May 7, and the full trial is scheduled to begin on May 25.
Paolini faces charges of procuring and taking drugs including Erythropoietin (EPO), and receiving stolen goods in 2005.
Elisa Basso is accused of dealing in illicit drugs and doping substances.
Mazzoleni, already implicated in the Oil for Drugs inquiry into a doping network across Italy, opened a restaurant after leaving the sport after having been handed a two-year ban in spring 2008, La Gazzetta said.