ASADA completes doping probe into AFL and NRL

Outgoing Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) Chief Executive Aurora Andruska has advised that agency's 13-month investigation into the use of drugs in the AFL and NRL has been completed.

Andruska told a Federal Senate Committee on Wednesday (26th Febuary) that ASADA would now prepare briefs for retired Federal Court judge Garry Downes to review and he would decide whether to pursue any cases against individuals.

For such cases with enough evidence to pursue, they will be sent to the Anti-Doping Violation Panel for preparation of an infraction notice.

Andruska told the Committee "Mr Downes will look at the information and the evidence and say how the cases will be taken forward.

"He's providing an independent view. This has been an investigation that's been under extreme scrutiny from the beginning. At some point someone was going to come into ASADA and undertake a complete review."

Federal Sports Minister Peter Dutton, who appointed Downes to the role, recently said the retired judge would be expected to provide an assessment by April.

AFL club Essendon and NRL club the Cronulla have been the focus of the agency's probe, which started in February 2013 following the Australian Crime Commission's 'Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport' report.

Earlier, Andruska said that an Australian Federal Police investigation found no one within their organisation was responsible for leaking sensitive information to the media.

During the peak of ASADA's investigation into players in the NRL and AFL, several sensitive documents were published in the media last year that related to Cronulla and Essendon.

Andruska added "there were media suggestions, and from other quarters, that the organisation was leaking.

"I brought in Deloitte and the AFP to make examination of any leaks occurring, and there were none. ASADA was not leaking."

Andruska said the investigation examined all communication that had been made and received by the organisation over the past several years.

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