Ullrich's house raided

Ullrich's manager Wolfgang Strohband also had his Hamburg residence searched. “I was not contacted. I therefore know nothing about it. But we have our lawyers looking into it. They will advise us as to our next course of action,” Strohband told German news agency SID.

A further eight residences were searched. According to state prosecutor Fred Apostel, the raid was part of a larger investigation process taking place on an international scale into doping practices in cycling.

It was triggered by a complaint made to the police by former athlete Barbara Bannenberg, who accused Ullrich, his advisor Rudy Pevenage as well as Spanish cyclist Oscar Sevilla of “betrayal of their employees [T-Mobile]. “Sport in Germany must be kept clean,” she insisted.

Both riders, as well as Pevenage, have now been sacked by the German team after they failed to prove their innocence following the breaking of the ‘Operacion Puerto' blood doping scandal.

The BKA also confirmed investigations of infringements of medicinal law were taking place against one person, though refused to name them.

Ullrich has denied any involvement in the doping scandal, as well as having had any contact with Dr. Fuentes.

Meanwhile, the German has won a libel case in a Hamburg court against Dr. Werner Franke, who claimed the former T-Mobile leader paid €35000 per year in return for banned substances from Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Dr. Franke has been forbidden from repeating his accusations.