John Dalli distances himself from former aide on bribery case
Ex-European health commissioner John Dalli on Tuesday distanced himself from a former aide charged with soliciting a €60 million bribe to overturn an EU ban on Snus, a smokeless tobacco product. Silvio Zammit, Dalli’s former aide who has since died, was charged in December 2012. An Olaf investigation concluded that Dalli was likely aware of the bribery attempt, leading to his resignation as commissioner in October 2012. Dalli said that Zammit “had his own plan of what he wanted to do. I was not part of it. Absolutely….What Silvio Zammit said, it was his own doing. He was selling himself,” Dalli said. The former Minister was speaking after a court of appeal in Brussels has upheld the conviction of the former director of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Giovanni Kessler, for the illegal wiretapping of Silvio Zammit. (Times of Malta)
PM Abela in Libya meetings
Prime Minister Robert Abela held a number of meetings in Libya including with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. In the course of a scheduled bilateral meeting, the agenda expected focused on immigration and on strategic cooperation between both countries, primarily on renewable energy. Meanwhile, an agreement signed in May four years ago and relating to immigration, as a result of which arrivals of illegal immigrants in Malta have been reduced, was renewed. Dr Abela was also hosted by thee President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi. (TVM)
Metsola vote shows Labour as a divided party
The two PL MEPs who voted against Prime Minister Robert Abela’s wishes have demonstrated their willingness to oppose the Prime Minister’s stance, stated Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech. He made his remarks following PN MEP Roberta Metsola’s re-election as President of the European Parliament on Tuesday. “This further confirms the significant infighting within Labour, with factions supporting Robert and Joseph, and a faction opposing Robert, causing great confusion,” Grech commented. Grech referred to PL MEPs Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard, who posted on social media that they abstained from voting for Metsola despite Abela’s support for her re-election.
