BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Retired former world champion Johan Museeuw and six other cyclists have been officially charged with possession of performance-enhancing drugs.

The riders are accused of possessing EPO and Aranesp but not of using the drugs because of legal technicalities, prosecutor's office spokesman Tom Janssen said Monday.
Museeuw and the other lesser-known Belgian riders will appear in court on Oct. 11.

Widely recognized as the greatest one-day cyclist of the past decade, Museeuw denies any wrongdoing.

Janssen said the riders were charged under Belgium's hormone legislation, which does not specify charges for the use of the products. "It is a purely technical thing," he said.

Apart from the seven riders, a veterinarian, a masseur and two couriers were also charged in the scandal which broke in 2003.

Veterinarian Jose Landuyt is accused of providing Museeuw with the drugs. Apart from the products allegedly found in Museeuw's possession, the prosecution also said it has extensive documentation of text messages from mobile phones Museeuw and Landuyt allegedly used to communicate.

The allegations centre on drug possession during the summer of 2003, when Museeuw was hoping to win a second world title.

Museeuw retired last year. The 39-year-old, who won the world championship in 1996, was banned for two years by the Belgian cycling federation last year for his alleged involvement in the scandal.