Alexandre Vinokourov should stand trial for corruption, says prosecutor
Wednesday 30 September 2015 13:41, UK
A Belgian prosecutor has decided that Alexandre Vinokourov and Alexandr Kolobnev should stand trial on charges of private corruption.
Vinokourov, the London 2012 Olympic road race champion, has been accused of paying Russia's Kolobnev £150,000 to let him win the 2010 edition of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day classic.
Both men face between six months and three years in prison and fines of between 300,000 and 600,000 euros if found guilty, but they have contested the prosecutor's ruling that the case should go to court.
The pair argue that there is not enough evidence and that further legal documentation is required.
The instructing judge is due to decide whether the case should go to trial before October 15.
The prosecutor, Frederic Demonceau, has been looking at evidence since May 2014, including e-mails between the two riders and bank accounts in Switzerland and Monaco.
Vinokourov, 42, quit racing at the end of 2012 and is now team manager of Astana. Kolobnev, 34, started the year under contract with Katusha but has not raced since the Tour of the Basque Country in April.
