25 May 2013 | 01:46
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Giovanni Kessler, General Director of the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) said former EU Commissioner John Dalli may have not committed fraud but he knew that someone close to him was suggesting something illegal and he did not report it.
Kessler was addressing a press conference in Brussels the day after John Dalli resigned after being implicated in an attempt of fraud in an OLAF report. Dalli has denied all allegations and said will fight to clear his name.
The OLAF General Director revealed a "big sum" was being mentioned in the alleged attempt to have the tobacco lobby to influence John Dalli over the new tobacco regulations. He confirmed that no part of the "big sum" suggested was actually paid and indeed the suggested sum was rejected the first time.
Kessler declined to comment on the fact that the Maltese businessman in the case ( identified as Silvio Zammit in Malta) is a member of the Nationalist Party. Zammit's name was not made by Kessler or any European Commission spokesman in Brussels in the past hours.
Comments
HAWKEYE
- Thu 18-Oct-2012, 09:22WHAT A JOKE O A PRESS CONFERENCE,MR KESSLER CAN'T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE PERSON DOING THE TRANSLATION EITHER.IT WAS ALL BULLSHIT SO I MIGHT NOT HAVE MISSED MUCH.
H Galea
- Thu 18-Oct-2012, 06:52If the deal went through. Who would have gained Sweeden or the sister companies in the west...this stinks...from valletta..across the atlantic and back to europe.we know who likes who or not.
BETTER FUTURE
- Wed 17-Oct-2012, 18:40Perhaps Kessler (or the Commission if it were a serious organisation) would inform us how OLAF concluded that Dalli knew conclusively about the incriminating going ons.
Skocciz
- Wed 17-Oct-2012, 18:12What I cannot understand is this: John Dalli was pushing for new though measures against smoking. It is a known fact that the smoking industry is strong and can manipulate anything to continue to survive within the EU area where it has seen its influence shrink considerably. So how can a Swedish pro-smoking company raise this issue which is not to its benefit? It is clear there is a hidden hand. With Dalli's resignation it is the smoking industry which stands to gain as it is seeing the anti-smoking directive derailed. Simple. I would have thought that OLAF and the Commission have brains.