PARIS, France - A French judge has issued a national arrest warrant for U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis in connection with a case of data hacking at a doping laboratory, a prosecutor's office said.
French judge Thomas Cassuto, based in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, is seeking to question Landis about computer hacking dating back to September 2006 at the Chatenay-Malabry lab, said Astrid Granoux, spokeswoman for Nanterre's prosecutor's office. The laboratory near Paris had uncovered abnormally elevated testosterone levels in Landis' samples collected in the run-up to his 2006 Tour de France victory, leading to the eventual loss of his medal.
Earlier Monday, France's anti-doping chief Pierre Bordry had mistakenly described the arrest warrant as international. Granoux stressed that the warrant is only applicable on French soil. It is possible in such cases to issue an international warrant at a later date if needed.
The American cyclist challenged the drug test results before an arbitration hearing in California - claiming that computer files were mishandled and erased - but he was stripped of his Tour de France title and banned for two years.
"Landis used the hacked files for his defence, that's how we discovered the whole scheme," Bordry said. "He wanted to show that the lab made mistakes in the handling of the tests." Landis did not immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.
The French judge, who is based in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, issued the warrant Jan. 28 because Landis did not respond to a summons in November, Bordry said.
"Apparently the judge traced the case back to the beginning," Bordry said. "I can't say I'm happy with this news because I would have preferred there was no Landis case."
Cassuto also issued a national warrant for Arnie Baker, a retired doctor and longtime Landis coach and adviser, the prosecutor's office said.
After discovering the hacking, the French lab upgraded security to protect its computer systems.
Landis' urine samples were tested at the lab and found to contain elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone levels, less than a week after he won the Tour de France.
On July 20, 2006, the Tour's 17th stage, Landis started more than eight minutes behind leader Oscar Pereiro after losing the yellow jersey to the Spaniard the previous day. But Landis produced an amazing ride during the mountainous stage to cut Pereiro's lead to 30 seconds before taking the title.
Landis' samples taken after that stage revealed a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 - nearly three times the 4:1 limit.
The Chatenay-Malabry lab is accredited by the International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Agency. It helped develop tests for the endurance-enhancing drug EPO.
Landis returned to competition at the Tour of California last year. He recently competed in a minor race staged in New Zealand.
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Nicolas Vaux-Montagny in Paris contributed to this report.
