The verdict fell dryly on Monday in the case of “Doctor Mabuse”. Bernard Sainz (78) was sentenced to one year in prison under a bracelet by the Paris Criminal Court. Another legal disappointment for the naturopath. Bernard Sainz was notably prosecuted for acts of“illegal practice of medicine and pharmacy”, and “aiding or inciting the use of prohibited substances or methods in connection with a sporting event” and this, in a state of recidivism, between 2013 and 2017.
He is also prohibited from exercising a profession in the fields of sport and health. In November, during his trial, two years in prison were required against this long-known figure in the cycling world and who has now become a real pariah. He was imprisoned several times in various proceedings. The Paris Court of Appeal had notably sentenced him in September 2014 to one year and 8 months in prison suspended for acts dating from 1998 to 2002.
Me Hector Bernardini, the defendant’s lawyer has already decided to appeal the decision. “On the doping aspect, my client is condemned on speculation and interpretation. For example, there are no prohibited products seized. His client is on the same wavelength: “My skills in naturopathy had been recognized, he defends himself. I had allowed some people to regain their health on the fringes of conventional medicine (…) But I note that the prosecution had demanded two years and that I was only sentenced to one year, non-executory. »
This whole affair was born out of a book, in 2016, I am the masked cyclist, then a report the same year, from the France Television program Cash Investigation : We saw Bernard Sainz giving, in hidden camera, doping protocols to cyclists. On France 2, he could be seen seated in a Parisian brasserie disclosing his prescriptions to a runner via coded language, “vitamin D” for the corticosteroid “diprostene” (prohibited in competition), or the therapeutic plant “chelidonium” to say “ clenbuterol”, a powerful anabolic agent. In another passage, he also advised taking EPO (erythropoietin), before setting prices, according to the winnings.