NANTERRE, France, Nov 6 - British cyclist David Millar and nine other people, most of them members or former members of French cycling team Cofidis, went on trial on Monday over a doping scandal.

Most are charged with acquiring and possessing banned performance-enhancing drugs, and could face up to five years in prison and fines of up to 75,000 euros ($95,360).

The trial, expected to last a week in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, follows one of the biggest judicial investigations into the use of banned drugs in the sport.

Millar's lawyer said in 2004 that the cyclist had told the police during questioning that he took the banned drug erythropoietin (EPO), an endurance booster, in 2001 and 2003.

Millar has since returned to cycling after serving a two-year ban.

The scandal prompted the French Sports Ministry and the International Cycling Union (UCI) to adopt new measures to fight doping in cycling and intensify random testing after it became clear riders were often warned before checks.

However, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in September cycling was not doing enough to battle the use of illegal drugs and urged the UCI to do more to clean up the sport.