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Moscow City Court Upholds Arrest in Absentia of WADA Informant Rodchenkov

© AP Photo / Pavel GolovkinIn this Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, file photo a car stands is front of Russia's national drug-testing laboratory in Moscow, Russia. It was at this laboratory, and its former site elsewhere in Moscow, that lab director Grigory Rodchenkov conducted pioneering research into steroids, at the same time as he says he was giving Russian athletes a "cocktail" of banned substances.
In this Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, file photo a car stands is front of Russia's national drug-testing laboratory in Moscow, Russia. It was at this laboratory, and its former site elsewhere in Moscow, that lab director Grigory Rodchenkov conducted pioneering research into steroids, at the same time as he says he was giving Russian athletes a cocktail of banned substances. - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Moscow City Court upheld Monday the decision on the arrest in absentia of Grigory Rodchenkov, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) informant and former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, who is accused of the illegal trafficking of potent substances, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

"To uphold the decision of the Zyuzino district court on the arrest in absentia, to dismiss the lawyer's appeal," the judge said on the decision.

The arrest term comprises two months and begins with the moment of his possible detention in Russia or extradition, according to the court's decision.

Rodchenkov is facing three criminal investigations. The Russian Investigative Committee is probing the cases on abuse of power and the obstruction of justice, while the Internal Ministry is investigating a case of illegal drug trafficking.

Rodchenkov was indicted in absentia for two episodes of the 234 article of the Russian Criminal Code — the illegal turnover of potent substances or poisonous substances in order to sell them, under which he may face up to eight years of imprisonment.

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Last week, Grigory Rodchenkov accused over 20 countries of practicing doping in their respective sports programs.

READ MORE: WADA Suspends Accreditation of Romanian Anti-Doping Laboratory

In 2016, Rodchenkov told The New York Times that at least 15 Russian Olympic winners were part of the alleged doping program, with his testimony serving as the basis for the WADA independent commission's report on doping in Russian sport. Following the activities of the International Olympic Committee's commission led by Denis Oswald that had re-checked the doping probes taken during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russian athletes have been deprived of 11 medals and of the first place in an unofficial medal ranking.

Russia has refuted the accusations of running the doping program but acknowledged that the country's sport has some problems with doping that are being tackled now.

READ MORE: WADA Informant's Allegations Against Putin, Russia Groundless — Kremlin

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