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OLAF report delay ‘almost arrogant’
Lawyers defending businessman Silvio Zammit, who is charged with trading in influence in a case which brought down former European Commissioner John Dalli, have disputed the Attorney General’s claims to have the OLAF report delayed.
28 January 2013, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
In an official reply filed with Magistrate Anthony Vella, the lawyers for businessman Silvio Zammit who is charged with soliciting a €60 million bribe from snus manufacturers 'Swedish Match' and for trading in influence, hit out at the Attorney General's request last week to have the OLAF report which led to the resignation of former European Commissioner John Dalli, and described it as "almost arrogant" for defying a decree handed by the Court.
Lawyers Edward Gatt and Kris Busietta argued that the persisted delay in presenting the OLAF investigation report was becoming "prejudicial" for their client, given that it was an intrinsic part of the proceedings against their client, as the evidence presented in the case so far showed.
Gatt and Busietta also challenged the claims made by the Police and the Attorney General that the report should not be published, because investigations involving former Commissioner Dalli were still ongoing.
The lawyers said that the Police have not arraigned Dalli because he was receiving medical treatment abroad, and the delay in his arraignment was seemingly the only reason why the prosecution want to also delay submitting the OLAF investigation report.
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something rotten hear. Agree, accusations were made and a commissioner was forced to resign based on the report. The report should have been made public then with the request that the commissioner resign. That is what is fair in a just society and a just democracy.
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WITHHOLDING THE PRESENTATION OF THE REPORT AGAINST THE DIRECT ORDERS OF THE PRESIDING MAGISTRATE NOT ONLY SMELLS ROTTEN BUT FEEDS THE STRONG SPECULATION THAT DALLI WAS SACRIFICED FOR THE BETTER GOOD OF GONZIPN CRONIES. THERE MUST REALLY BE TOP OFFICIALS MENTIONED IN THE REPORT WHICH WILL NOT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY BEFORE THE MALTESE PEOPLE ELECT A GOVERNMENT THAT WILL BE CLEAN, TRANSPARENT AND JUST.
Luke Camilleri •
PLAYING FOR TIME!
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Most of Malta must have already concluded that Dalligate, is nothing more than a politically charged vendetta against Dalli. He had been perceived by the power brokers that he was instigating and supporting the so called "rebels". Therefore, further strenuous efforts to conceal this report from voters' eyes must be seen as efforts to hide the fact that the circumstantial evidence must be as solid as Gonzi's deficit elimination promises.
