The European Commission yesterday declined to give further details about Commissioner John Dalli’s property in Tripoli and on any business interests he may have in the country, saying only he has nothing to add to the declaration of financial interests he submitted when he took office last year.

A foreign journalist quizzed Mr Dalli’s spokesman during the daily midday Commission briefing about Mr Dalli’s official declaration. The journalist asked for more information about the size, value and location of the declared “house in Tripoli” and whether the Commissioner was still in possession of the property.

Mr Dalli’s spokesman, Frederic Vincent, insisted he would not give such information.

“I will not give you details about the size of the property and so on because the Commissioner has nothing more to add to his declaration made when he took office.”

Insisting, the journalist commented that a house in Tripoli owned by a European commissioner was not a normal thing because Libya was not a holiday place like the Cote d’Azur or Greece.

Mr Vincent held firm saying he had nothing more to add. “As far as I know there is no ban in owning a house in Libya,” he said.

The spokesman also declined to give more details on business interests Mr Dalli might still have in Libya.

According to his declaration, Mr Dalli has divested all his business interests upon becoming a commissioner. He had declared a past shareholding in a multi-million dollar glass manufacturing company called Aziza, which has the Libyan regime as one of its major partners. According to the EU Observer, Mr Dalli passed on these business interests to his daughters.

Earlier this month, Mr Dalli came under fire following comments he made on the Libyan conflict, which were interpreted to be pro-regime and not in line with the Commission’s official position asking for Muammar Gaddafi’s resignation. Commission president José Manuel Barroso then intervened and Mr Dalli apologised saying he was misinterpreted.