Alexandre Vinokourov faces up to three years in prison if found guilty of corruption charge
Last Updated: 21/08/14 5:01pm
Retired Kazakh cyclist Alexandre Vinokourov could face up to three years in prison if found guilty of a corruption charge, Sky Sports News HQ has learnt.
The London 2012 Olympic champion has been accused of paying Russian rider Alexandr Kolobnev 150,000 euros to let him win the 2010 edition of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege one-day Classic.
The prosecutor's office in Liege confirmed both riders have been charged with corruption, but revealed the case would not reach court until the beginning of 2015 at the earliest.
It was also confirmed that if convicted, Vinokourov would face a prison sentence of between six and 36 months, as well as a fine of between 600 and 300,000 euros.
Vinokourov, who served a doping ban between 2007 and 2009 and is now a sports director for the Astana team, has always denied the accusation.
