John Dalli

Former European health commissioner John Dalli yesterday launched a strongly worded attack on Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and OLAF head Giovanni Kessler.

Mr Dalli said Dr Busuttil, whom he referred to as “Dr BS”, had failed to defend him in Parliament.

He accused Dr Kessler – “Dr GK” – of coming up with excuses why not to come to Malta to confront him.

Dr Kessler said on Wednesday Mr Dalli warned him through a source not to come to Malta as he would be arrested.

Mr Dalli denied he had warned Dr Kessler not to come to Malta.

Mr Dalli took exception to Dr Busuttil’s speech in Parliament when he accused the government and the police commissioner of breaking EU law by failing to collaborate with the EU’s investigative office as they were obliged to do.

“Dr BS should be upholding the rights of the Maltese citizen [Dalli] and not the abuse of the likes of Dr GK,” he said.

Mr Dalli, a former Nationalist Cabinet minister, accused Dr Busuttil of launching an attack against him.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat declined to specify the present relationship between the government and Mr Dalli.

Asked repeatedly to say whether Mr Dalli was still acting as his consultant, Dr Muscat would not reply, saying he was in a hurry.

Dr Muscat would not comment either on reports that Peter Paul Zammit was about to be removed as police commissioner. He said he would not comment on media speculation. Just hours later, the government announced that Mr Zammit had stepped down and would assume an administrative role as coordinator for security in national events.

Soon after returning to Malta last year, after Labour’s return to power and following a four-month recovery period in Brussels after being diagnosed with suffering from “psychosocial exposure”, Mr Dalli met Dr Muscat and was appointed consultant on health.

At the same time, Mr Zammit, who had just been appointed police commissioner, declared there was no evidence against Mr Dalli to arraign him over bribery allegations.

His predecessor, John Rizzo, had declared Mr Dalli would be taken to court once he returned to Malta. Mr Rizzo was removed from office soon after the change in government.

Mr Dalli was forced to resign from the European Commissioner in October 2012 by outgoing president José Manuel Barroso.

This followed the conclusions of an investigation by OLAF which, Dr Kessler had reported, found “unambiguous circumstantial evidence” that Mr Dalli knew that a person close to him was using his name to obtain bribes in return for changes to the EU’s tobacco legislation.

Mr Dalli is challenging the resignation in front of the European Court of Justice.