[VIDEO] John Dalli: ‘Barroso told me to resign’

Dalli blames tobacco lobby in bid to scupper anti-tobacco laws that would have made packaging less attractive.

17 October 2012, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

2 min read

John Dalli claims big tobacco is behind an attempt at stopping him from increasing anti-smoking images on packaging.

Former European Commissioner told Brussels political magazine New Europe that he was told to resign by Commission president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, despite knowing that the OLAF investigation concluded there had been no direct connection between Silvio Zammit and him, or Swedish smokeless tobacco producer Swedish Match.

According to Dalli, on Tuesday at 4pm, Jose Barroso read to John Dalli a cover letter of OLAF director Giovanni Kessler saying that they had concluded the investigation and did not find any conclusive evidence against Dalli.

According to the report, no meetings or contacts ever took place between the Commissioner and the industry and that the decision-making process to the review of the Tobacco Products Directive - influenced at all.

The Directive was due to go to the final stage of approval and entering into effect on Monday, 22 October.

MaltaToday is informed that Dalli's cabinet has now stopped all work in the run-up to the Tobacco Directive review which included making 75% of tobacco packaging less attractive by portraying images on the dangers of tobacco, and coming down strong on tobacco flavouring - no doubt a relief to the tobacco industry as things stand.

Dalli said Barroso asked him to resign.

"Dalli said that as the party concerned with the investigation, he never received the OLAF report and never was invited, according to the OLAF procedure, to comment on the report before its release to the authorities and that in any case the report did not include any accusation but simply proving his innocence."

"Taken by surprise, John Dalli asked Barroso 24 hours for him to consult his lawyer and family. Barroso refused categorically and told him, "you have three quarters of an hour as at 17:00 pm I will issue a press release. You have either to resign or I will dismiss you by five o'clock."

Dalli said he prepared a statement defending himself which he sent to the Maltese Prime Minister and Opposition leader, but that the Commission was unable to distribute his press statement.

Dalli also said he was informed that he was a person of interest in the OLAF investigation as early as 11 July, 2012, in connect with "an investigation related to the attempts to invoice the company Swedish Match and the European Smokeless Tobacco Council (ESTOC) through an intermediary, in paying a bribe to obtain the lifting of the EU ban on snus and to have met with interested parties, lobbyists and economic operators to discuss subjects related to the snus case in a possible infraction of the rules governing the impartiality of the Members of the Commission."

OLAF investigated Dalli twice in July and September 2012, conducted behind closed doors by Giovanni Kessler, investigator Edoardo Cano Romera and legal officer Cvetelina Cholakova. Other persons were interrogated by OLAF in Brussels and in Malta.

Dalli told New Europe that the middleman in question, Silvio Zammit never communicated anything of an alleged meeting with him.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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I always thought that EU is a respectfull and serious organisation but now i have more than second doubts. I am sure that someone wanted to give the giant tobacco industry a period of relief and they made John Dalli their scapegoat. Our prime minister should intervene and object to this manouvering and show them that the Maltese are not stupid

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'Barroso told me to resign', this bicca portugiz of course relished the chance to finally also have a chance to kick some butt. Normally he's only allowed to kiss Merkel's ass and now he got to play the big guy for once. ... This tragic story shows however the amateurism with which Malta conducts its international relations especially when dealing with international organizations! Amateurish pure and simple! ... The Maltese government should have immediately protested and insisted that our commissioner be treated with respect and to be retained in his post until proven guilty! ... And we really need to learn how to conduct ourselves. The mentality of 'halli f'idejja, issa nkellmu jien taf' needs to end! Who the f is this Zammit who jeopardized Mr Dalli's career this way??? Is Gonzi really behind it all again? This is not Malta we're talking now and the damage is done to the health of all Europe!

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"Dalli said Barroso asked him to resign." and very conveniently he did? How come? John dalli is a very smart man and yet he resigned without any reservation? Something is not right here. What is going on with our Maltese Meps? This does not do Malta any good. I hope John Dalli has a valid explanation of what happened, he owes the Maltese people that much. A man is innocent until proven guilty.

Luke Camilleri •

IMMA kif gara li gara wara l'intervista li ta' John Dalli fuq BLA AGENDA U SEMMGHA LI L-MINIMUM WAGE QATT MA GHOLLUHA GVERNIJIET Nazzjonalisti! Tghid kumbinazzjoni?

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fi zmien MINTOFF kont tiftaher li int Malti.Illum tisthi tghid li int Malti

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baroso habib ta gonzi eq!

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Dear Mr. Dalli You forgot that you were up against the strongest lobby in the world. That which reaps billions through cigarettes. You were small fry and the bait was the ridiculous Zammit. There is no doubt in my mind that you never were or would have connived with the lobby group. The bigger fish than you, the likes of Barosso etc would have been the hand of god that struck you down.. Now til a new commissioner etc etc takes over might take god knows how long. A good enough breathing space for the tobacco industry. The cost? Your head for all to see and the higher ups than you cash in their pockets who no one will see. And they all do it for the common good of europe. What legal criminality!!!! You should set up a party that will pull us out of europe. You will have my vote in less no time!!!!

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John Dalli was a gentleman and resigned because of 'circumstancial evidence': our ministers were caught 'with their pants down' and they did not resign. It says a lot about our politicians who have been in power for the last 25 years and still want to have the cake and eat it! I say, get on with it fellow Maltese, change these bunch of incompetents and sleazy lot, elect someone new, and then after 5 years change the whole lot again: that's European and not what we are getting!

Igor P. Shuvalov •

"You have either to resign or I will dismiss you by five o'clock." So really Dalli was forced to resign.

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Can Malta Today give us any indications of the links between Silvio Zammit and John Dalli since John Dalli has not denied ever knowing or dealing with Silvio Zammit.

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Let's make it straight, if Dalli is somehow connected to this case let him be judged and punished. But it looks like its a second attempt to discredit him aftyer the first one failed, were again in order to defend himself and for the good of the party (PN) he resigned something the likes of Austin Gatt, Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, Joe Cassar, Dolores Cristina and Tonio Borg wouldn't dream of doing. John Dalli may be held to account to the finacial problems created by PN as one of the party's financial ministers, but at least he has more honesty and integrity than the whole bunch of miscreants that grace our parliament on gonzipn's side.

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nahseb li kont tmur wisq fuq ONE tv Sur Dalli jew inkella irfist xi kallu .... imma l id mohbija regghet ghamlet xoghlha..........