[attach id=260219 size="medium"]Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit.[/attach]
Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit has criticised the EU anti-fraud agency chief over his handling of the Dalligate investigation, saying that had he acted in the same way he would risk losing his job.
“If I were to act in the same manner in my position now I think I would be risking getting kicked out of office,” Mr Zammit told the German public broadcaster WDR.
“In my opinion, these cases do not warrant such speed and such a reaction without being looked into properly by all those concerned,” he said.
The broadcaster carried out a series of interviews with the protagonists of the Dalligate saga in the wake of Mr Zammit’s declaration last week that the police did not have sufficient evidence to initiate a court case on former European Commissioner John Dalli.
The police had planned to arraign Mr Dalli under the leadership of the previous Police Commissioner.
These cases do not warrant such speed and such a reaction without being looked into properly
However, Mr Zammit said that, after consulting the Attorney General, he had decided there was not sufficient evidence to sustain criminal charges.
But, despite the divergent views, Mr Zammit’s comments on the OLAF probe reflect the opinion of the investigators involved in the case who, sources told Times of Malta, privately argued that the EU agency had botched the investigation by jumping to conclusions prematurely.
The only person charged in connection with the case is Silvio Zammit, 48, who is pleading not guilty to trading in influence and bribery for allegedly requesting a €60 million bribe from tobacco company Swedish Match to help lift a ban on snus, a form of tobacco consumed orally that can be sold only in Sweden under present EU rules.
The WDR programme also included a brief interview with Mr Dalli. In one clip, he appears watching a recent hearing in the European Parliament in which OLAF director general Giovanni Kessler was grilled by critical MEPs about the case.
“He’s (Kessler) not logical. He’s twisting facts all the time ... It’s unbelievable. Your life depends on this guy, or any citizen’s life, for that matter, not just my life. That’s why I think he should resign,” Mr Dalli said.