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Estonian prosecutor's office not to apply for Alaver to be placed into custody

BC, Tallinn, 12.03.2019.Print version

The Estonian Office of the Prosecutor General does not intend to apply for skiing coach Mati Alaver, suspected of repeatedly inciting doping activities, to be placed into custody, informed LETA/BNS. 


Alaver was detained for questioning on Monday, but will be released when the operations have concluded, spokesperson for the chief prosecutor's office Olja Kivistik told. She added that a search was carried out at Alaver's place of residence but did not specify whether it only involved Alaver's house in Tartu or also included his summer house in Kaariku.


Criminal proceedings have been launched to investigate whether the information alleging three Estonian skiers have been influenced to use doping constitutes a criminal offence. Taavi Pern, head of the prosecution department at the Office of the Prosecutor General, said that his counterparts in Austria and Germany have given an adequate overview of exactly what crimes are being investigated in those countries.


"From the information we have received from our Austrian and German partners, we now know that they are engaged in extensive criminal proceedings. However, there is at the same time a lot of new public information which makes it rational to initiate separate criminal proceedings in Estonia," Pern said.


Pern added that the criminal proceedings in Austria against Estonian skiers suspected of doping is to continue.


''According to information available to us concerning the criminal proceedings initiated by the Austrian public prosecutor's office, among other things, the circumstances related to the use of doping by several athletes are being clarified. The use of doping is not stipulated as crime in Estonia, but we will assist our partners in collecting information in any way we can,'' he said.


Alaver is suspected of repeatedly inciting doping activities, which is punishable by a pecuniary punishment or up to three years of imprisonment.


Proceedings are conducted by the Central Criminal Police and led by the Office of the Prosecutor General.





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