German prosecutor closes case against Jaksche

By Susan Westemeyer

The public prosecutor in Ansbach, Germany, has closed his investigation of Jörg Jaksche without taking any action against the cyclist. "There is no evidence of violation of prescription medicine laws or the law against unfair competition," said Ansbach prosecutor Ernst Metzger.

Ansbach is the hometown of 31 year-old Jaksche, who lives in Kitzbühel, Austria.

Jaksche confessed at the beginning of July to having used EPO (Erythropoietin), human growth hormone and other forbidden doping products throughout his career. He is challenging a one-year suspension handed down by the Austrian cycling federation so that he can ride as early as January.

The prosecutor said, basically, that it wasn't fraud because everyone knew what was going on, according to the dpa press agency. "If you take Jörg Jaksche's descriptions of doping practices as a basis, then it is – at least as far as I can tell – unlikely that all those concerned weren't aware of what was going on," Metzger said. "The only important thing was to bring in the best possible results, regardless of how."