Good afternoon. This blog will be reporting live from the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, where a panel of five judges will be hearing round two of the Dalli versus Barroso case.
The sitting is expected to start around 1:30pm
Mr Dalli is claiming that he was unfairly dismissed when he was forced to resign on October 16, 2012.
He stepped down in the wake of an investigation by the EU anti-fraud agency (Olaf), which concluded there was circumstantial evidence indicating that Dalli knew that his former canvasser and friend, Sliema restaurateur, Silvio Zammit, had asked tobacco lobbyists for a bribe in his name and did nothing about it.
But Mr Dalli has been claiming – a claim he reiterated insistently at yesterday’s hearing – that he was bullied out of office, primarily because his former boss, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso denied him access to the Olaf report and only gave him 30 minutes to decide whether to leave voluntarily or be sacked.
He insists he was sacked and that this action was unfair dismissal and is therefore calling on the EU Court to declare it null and award him symbolic compensation of €1.
Mr Barroso on the other hand mounted a fierce defence yesterday, arguing that Dalli had voluntarily accepted to step down to be able to clear his name and that he later changed his mind and made up a series of conspiracy theories to try and defend his position.
The exchange, reported extensively in a live blog yesterday and this morning in Times of Malta was a real show for whoever has been following the Dalligate affair.
Both sides spared no punches but while Mr Dalli has been very present in the media over the past two years, yesterday was the first time Mr Barroso and some of his key collaborators came up with a comprehensive defence of their position.
Today’s hearing will probably be less spectacular but potentially more relevant to the case at hand. Lawyers from both sides will be making their final pleas.
Judges will then retire to deliberate and probably deliver a judgment towards the end of the year or early next…