- Title: German prosecutors indict sports physician accused of blood doping
- Date: 20th December 2019
- Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (DECEMBER 20, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH MUNICH SENIOR PUBLIC PROSECUTOR KAI GRAEBER (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUNICH SENIOR PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, KAI GRAEBER, SAYING: "The defendant is accused of collaborative blood doping along with several others. The charges vary depending on the individual. I described about 250 facts when the charges were pressed of which around 145 are criminally relevant. The range of sentences for one criminal offence is a prison term from one to 10 years." GRAEBER SPEAKING TO REPORTERS CAMERA CREWS (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUNICH SENIOR PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, KAI GRAEBER, SAYING: "The latest development is that Friday of last week (Dec. 13) charges were pressed by Munich's district court against the Erfurt sports physician and four people who supported him as part of his network. The court will now communicate the charges and will then later decide whether or not it will admit the charges." GRAEBER SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUNICH SENIOR PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, KAI GRAEBER, SAYING: "We basically investigated every type of high calibre sports events, ranging from the Olympic Games to world and European championships, national championships and every large cycling event like the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de Suisse, the Tour de Romandie and other cycling competitions in different countries." SIGN READING IN GERMAN "MUNICH PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE" GRAEBER POSING FOR CAMERAS GRAEBER'S NAME SIGN ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (German) MUNICH SENIOR PUBLIC PROSECUTOR, KAI GRAEBER, SAYING: "Blood was administered shortly before the races. The blood was taken during resting phases, between seasons. These measures were then accompanied by either taking medication at the same time or by operating with salt water after the races in order to hide higher readings during doping checks." SIGN READING IN GERMAN "MUNICH PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE†EXTERIOR OF MUNICH PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
- Embargoed: 3rd January 2020 12:06
- Keywords: athletes blood transfusion doping erfurt sports physician indictment munich state prosecutor
- Location: MUNICH, GERMANY & MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MUNICH, GERMANY & MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001BAS3WOV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Munich's prosecutor said on Friday he had indicted a sports physician from the eastern German city of Erfurt accused of blood doping.
Senior public prosecutor Kai Graeber told reporters the doctor, whom German media named only as Mark S., was assisted by four other people and that the team administered athletes' blood shortly before races, mainly in cycling.
In March, Mark S. was arrested after at least 21 athletes from eight nations across five sports suspected of blood-doping were linked to the German doctor.
Five athletes, including two Austrians, were initially arrested on Feb. 27 at the Nordic skiing world championships in the Austrian resort of Seefeld.
Austrian police said at the time that the operation was coordinated with the German authorities. One of the athletes was caught in the act of doping, officials said then.
Munich's state prosecutor's office said at the time the investigation was triggered by statements made by Austrian cross-country skier and doping offender Johannes Duerr to a German broadcaster early this year.
Duerr, who was caught doping during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, had talked to German broadcaster ARD in January.
Two of the athletes arrested in Seefeld were from Austria, two are Estonian and one is from Kazakhstan, police said.
According to senior public prosecutor Graeber, the defendants if convicted could face prison terms from one to ten years.
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