‘Smokin’ Joe’s no show with Snoop Dogg

Sammut, 54, had claimed in an article he wrote in 2008, that a ‘close friendship’ had developed between himself and Snoop Dogg in the exclusive resort of Porto Cervo in Sardinia, where a lavish party was thrown and paid for by the Gaddafi brothers.

He claimed that the familiar rapport between the two led Snoop Dogg to nickname him ‘Smokin’ Joe’ after they shared Gaddafi’s private jet from Fiumicino to Olbia and were ‘room neighbours’ for two days at a Porto Cervo Hotel.

In his article, published in the General Workers Union’s daily l-orizzont in August 2008, the once treasurer of the Malta Labour Party stopped short of revealing his client’s identity.

He was however later identified by the US media as the man who ‘wired’ and paid US$1 million to Nelly Furtado and hundreds of thousands of dollars to other high-profile artists hired by Gaddafi brothers to perform during private parties around the world.

In his article, published in the General Workers Union’s daily l-orizzont in August 2008, the once treasurer of the Malta Labour Party stopped short of revealing his client’s identity, but he was later identified by the US media as the man who ‘wired’ and paid US$1 million to Nelly Furtado and hundreds of thousands of dollars to other high-profile artists hired by Gaddafi brothers to perform during private parties around the world.

Sammut names Shaggy and Enrique Iglesias as other performers he met during other private events organised by his clients, including one in St Barts. But his ‘Santa Marija’ party in August 2008 in Porto Cervo was one to remember as Snoop Dogg – who performed at the Club Pevero for the Gaddafi’s – became a close friend.

He wrote that Snoop Dogg called him regularly and exchanged text messages with him, “even at 2am, I had no problem with that. My job was to ensure that all went well and nothing hindered the private party,” Sammut said.

But contacted this week shortly after Snoop Dogg’s Malta MTV performance, Joe Sammut said he didn’t contact or meet up with the artist.

“I’m really not into Rap or RnB and I doubt how much he would have remembered me,” Joe Sammut joked, adding that he was “rather busy.”

Asked about his rapport with the Gaddafi’s son Seif al Islam in the wake of the Libyan uprising, Joe Sammut insisted on a “no comment.”

He insisted that all trade and financial transactions have been halted, as banks in Libya are not operating, and “even the cleanest transaction would raise problems.”