Rome - The sports court of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) on Monday started anti-doping proceedings against Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde.

The winner of the UCI ProTour championships in 2006 and 2008 is accused of blood doping after blood samples, allegedly belonging to him, were seized from alleged doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

The head of the commission, Ettore Torri, has said that Valverde was guilty of doping or attempted doping and has asked for a two year ban for him.

Valverde failed to attend the first day of the hearing.

His lawyers are putting a case that he does not have to appear in Rome after a Madrid judge earlier ruled that the anti-doping proceedings against him were "null and void."

They ordered Spanish authorities not to hand over evidence to Italian officials in the case.

The Spanish cycling federation said that Italian authorities should not have opened proceedings against Valverde, while CONI is saying they are entitled to charge the cyclist after he gave a blood sample last year after a Tour de France stage that ended in Italy.

Torri now want to prove - using DNA tests - that the blood given during the doping test comes from the same person whose blood was found with Fuentes. (dpa)