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Landis denies hacking charges

published 16 February 2010

American says he has not been served with arrest warrant

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Floyd Landis (OUCH) has been spending time in the Utah mountains getting ready for this week. (Image credit: Jon Devich)

Floyd Landis has denied hacking into the French anti-doping laboratory Chatenay-Malabry. He also said that he has not been served with a warrant for his arrest. Yesterday it was announced that a French judge had issued an arrest warrant for Landis in connection with his Tour de France 2006 doping case.

Landis tested positive for testosterone during that Tour de France, and the controls were handled by the French lab. In November of that year, the lab said that its computers had been hacked, with data being removed or changed. The hacked files were subsequently used in Landis' defence in his US Anti-Doping Agency hearings.

The attack was traced to a computer with the same IP address as that of Landis' coach Arnie Baker. A warrant has also been issued against Baker.

"I can't speak for Arnie, but no attempt has been made to formally contact me," Landis said in an e-mail to the Los Angeles Times. "It appears to be another case of fabricated evidence by a French lab who is still upset a United States citizen believed he should have the right to face his accusers and defend himself."

Landis said he didn't not know why the French judicial system was pursuing the hacking charges. "But certainly I hope it's not lost on anyone that it is a grand admission to having substandard computers at their self-proclaimed 'nation's best lab'. "

The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, who prosecuted Landis, saw things in a different light. "Obviously, the French believe they have sufficient evidence to ask Floyd to appear before them. It was a serious breach of security in a high-profile situation. Hopefully, French law enforcement can get to the bottom of it. Somebody hacked the lab and whoever did violated the law.” he said.