Silvio Zammit had told a Swedish company official that money to influence EU tobacco law had to be paid directly to his “boss”, the court heard yesterday.

Mr Zammit’s boss was allegedly former EU Commissioner John Dalli, responsible for reviewing tobacco legislation. Mr Zammit was a longtime friend and former canvasser of Mr Dalli.

According to assistant police commissioner Michael Cassar, the Sliema businessman asked an official of Swedish Match, a snus tobacco producer, whether he wanted “heart medication” before telling him the price tag for changing EU law.

Snus is an oral form of tobacco that can only be sold in Sweden and companies have been trying for years to lift an EU sales ban.

Mr Cassar took the witness stand during the compilation of evidence in proceedings against Mr Zammit, 48, who was charged with bribery and trading in influence last week.

He said that Mr Zammit asked for €60 million during a meeting with the Swedish Match official on February 13 at his Sliema restaurant.

“Lifting the ban would cost €60 million that had to paid by the CEO of Swedish Match to my boss anywhere in the world,” Mr Cassar said, attributing this statement to Mr Zammit.

Mr Zammit made a similar offer at a later stage to Inge Delfosse of ESTOC, a lobby group for the snus industry, in which he asked for a €10 million upfront payment to be paid to his “boss”. He made two phone calls in quick succession to Gayle Kimberly, the Maltese contact for Swedish Match, and to Mr Dalli before returning an ESTOC official’s call, Mr Cassar testified.

During yesterday’s sitting the court was informed that Dr Kimberly could not testify because she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Her lawyer presented a medical certificate.

But Iosif Galea, a key witness and friend of Mr Zammit, was given a stern warning by the magistrate after he repeatedly said he could not remember certain details. Magistrate Anthony Vella warned that he could arrest him for 24 hours if he continued “playing with words”.

Mr Galea was asked by Inspector Angelo Gafa about a meeting he attended in January at Mr Dalli’s Portomaso office between Mr Zammit, Dr Kimberly and the former EU Commissioner.

Mr Galea said he had asked to go to the meeting solely to see Dr Kimberly because they were going through a difficult moment at the time. The two worked together at the gaming authority and were having an affair.

Mr Galea said that all he heard at the meeting was “tobacco directive” because he had received a phone call that lasted some five minutes and moved to one side of the room. He said the meeting did not last more than eight minutes.

Under persistent questioning, Mr Galea said it was Mr Dalli and Dr Kimberly who were talking and she was taking notes.

Mr Galea then recalled a phone call in his presence between Mr Zammit and Ms Delfosse some three weeks before the March local council elections. He said the two spoke about Mr Zammit’s candidature for the Sliema council and the tobacco directive.

“All I heard was Mr Zammit mention €60 million,” Mr Galea told the court. He failed to give more details when asked to do so by the prosecution. Mr Galea said he only remembered the figure because it was “extraordinary”.

“When the phone call ended Silvio Zammit told me: ‘I told her €60 million because she bothered me with her phone calls’,” Mr Galea said.

Mr Galea also recounted another incident in June when he accompanied Dr Kimberly on a trip to Portugal where she had to attend a gaming conference.

He said that on the first day Dr Kimberly had a meeting with two men who interviewed her for a long time.

Mr Galea said that after the interview, Dr Kimberly was crying and told him the men were from the EU anti-fraud agency Olaf and had talked to her about the tobacco directive. She told him not to tell Mr Zammit about the interview.

Asked by the prosecution, Mr Galea admitted that he phoned Mr Zammit from Portugal to inform him of the interview.

After the Portugal trip Mr Galea said he had accessed Dr Kimberly’s personal e-mail and found a document she had sent to Olaf with notes of the meeting with Mr Dalli earlier in the year. He downloaded the document, read it and informed Mr Zammit about it but did not hand him a copy.

Mr Galea explained it was Dr Kimberly who had given him the password to her e-mail account.

At the end of the sitting Mr Zammit was granted bail against a deposit of €25,000 and a personal guarantee of €75,000.

The case continues in January.