‘No money was ever passed’ – John Dalli vows to fight bribery prosecutions

Former European Commissioner John Dalli has vowed to fight against new criminal proceedings he’s set to face over the 2012 bribery allegations first reported by OLAF.

“The new prosecutions are a done deal between Gafa and Kessler,” Dalli told MaltaToday when asked for comment on the new proceedings.

He was referring to Malta’s police commissioner Angelo Gafa, who when the bribery allegations came out was an inspector in the police force and had investigated the allegations with former Commissioner John Rizzo.

Meanwhile, Giovanni Kessler was the director of the EU’s anti-fraud agency OLAF when the agency concluded that he had been complicit in a bribery scandal.

Dalli has long waged war with Kessler, having sued him and the Swedish company Swedish Match for defamation back in 2017. Dalli had also accused Kessler of having liaised with the office of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in 2012, some 24 hours before the Commissioner was forced to resign over allegations raised in an OLAF bribery investigation.

Dalli added to MaltaToday that the proceedings “explain the attacks on me over the past days”, hinting towards recent calls for his prosecution.

It was revealed on Monday that John Dalli is set to be charged over the bribery allegations that saw him resign as European Commissioner in 2012.

He is set to be arraigned on Friday 17 September in front of Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo at 12pm.

Dalli resigned in September 2012 following accusations from then Commissioner president José Barroso over an OLAF investigation that showed he had been in contact with restaurateur Silvio Zammit when the latter had been soliciting bribes from a Swedish snuff tobacco company seeking the end of a retail ban on its products.

However, no transaction was ever concluded between Zammit and the Swedish company, and no payment was ever made.

Dalli pointed this out when asked for comment, questioning what he could be prosecuted for. 

"No money was ever passed. What was I supposed to have received? air?"

READ ALSO: John Dalli to face charges over €60 million snus bribery allegations