Drug charges against Rebellin dropped

The charges of illegal drug use against Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin have been dropped by the court in the northern Italian town of Este, Padova. Rebellin and 19 others were put on trial in November 2004 for violating the Italian anti-doping and sporting fraud laws. The trial was initiated on the basis of phone tapping and video surveillance of athletes allegedly injecting themselves with drugs in 2001. However, the court judge in Este ruled that the evidence was insufficient to prove that Rebellin had taken any banned substances.