After the net, the explanations. The Marseille public prosecutor’s office communicated publicly after the searches targeting the Bahrain-Victorious team, Thursday June 30, on the eve of the start of the Tour de France 2022 in Copenhagen.
“Between June 27 and 30, 2022, an international judicial and police cooperation action was carried out jointly in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark“, explained the Marseille prosecutor’s office. “This action, coordinated by Eurojust and carried out with the assistance of Europol, enabled the judicial and police authorities of the countries concerned to carry out several searches at the homes of the manager, three riders, the osteopath and a doctor of the Bahrain-Victorious professional cycling team, as well as the headquarters of the company Winning SRL, owner of the team“, he added in a press release.
If the Bahrain-Victorious team affirmed Thursday morning that no object had been seized during the search at the hotel carried out on Thursday, the Marseille prosecutor’s office specified that “electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines whose nature and origin remain undetermined or whose delivery is subject to prescription have been seized“during the various searches.”All of these seizures will be the subject of subsequent analysis and exploitation.“, he continued.
This operation was carried out as part of the preliminary investigation opened on July 3, 2021 for “acquisition, transportation, possession, import of a prohibited substance or method for use by an athlete without medical justification“.”To date, the team has not been informed of the progress, the results or has not received any feedback on the investigation from the Marseille prosecutor’s office.“, said the Bahrain-Victorious team on Thursday, regretting “damage to the reputation of individuals and the team“.