By Susan Westemeyer
Oscar Camenzind has been fined 500 Swiss Franken by a Swiss court for not naming his doping suppliers. According to the Neue Züricher Zeitung, the former world champion was called as a witness to testify to the names of the persons who had supplied him with performance-booster EPO. Camenzind refused to testify, saying he did not wish to endanger himself and claimed that he could be arrested in another country if he told what he knew.
Camenzind's attorney, Jörg Bühlmann, has said that he will appeal the fine. "The punishment is a political act, not a judicial one," he said.
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The Swiss rider tested positive for EPO in 2004 and immediately announced his retirement. The Swiss federal sports agency Bundesamt für Sport filed charges against "persons unknown" in an attempt to find the suppliers. The case was closed in December 2005, when Camenzind refused to testify. Appeals have led to the current decision to fine Camenzind for inappropriate use of the right not to testify.
