Well, you should read the whole article, if he did not say so he was disqualified until after the Tour....
You should listen to the interview with Simoni and Basso at the start of the next day tappa after the Aprica. It is clear who is telling the true. When Basso tell Simoni to not lie, Simoni ask Basso if he should say how much, at that point is clear Basso wants to cover it. Too bad it is in italian.....
Simoni made a mistake and spoke about something that should not be known.
What do you think is the impact of this whole mess with BIG RACE one of the big sponsor of the Giro and the official place to bet on the race results? I am sure they are not too happy about it.