MODENA, Italy (AP) _ A prosecutor has said that sworn testimony links former Ferrari technician Nigel Stepney to an apparent sabotage attempt.

A mysterious white powder was found on the gas tanks of Felipe Massa's and Kimi Raikkonen's cars on May 21, six days before the Monaco Grand Prix. Traces of the same powder were reportedly found in a pair of Stepney's trousers.

Ferrari has since fired Stepney and opened a criminal case against him. Stepney has denied any wrongdoing, claiming that someone within Ferrari set him up.

``Certainly there is backing _ from sworn testimony _ to suspect that it was Stepney who handled the powder,'' Modena prosecutor Giuseppe Tibis was quoted as saying by the Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday.

Proceedings in the case are due to begin again when the court's summer vacation ends on Sept. 15.