Updated - Adds Police Commissioner's reaction to Giovanni Kessler's letter - Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this evening that the failure by Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit to cooperate with Olaf in a new investigation about John Dalli was a clear breach of European law and the prime minister, who had personally appointed the commissioner, needed to assume his responsibilities.
Referring to a letter published today by Olaf Director-General Giovanni Kessler, Dr Busuttil said in parliament that what had happened was a disgrace which shamed Malta. This sort of thing undermined democracy and rendered Malta a banana republic.
(See Dr Kessler's letter at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140702/local/updated-dalli-says-he-wanted-to-confront-kessler-in-malta.526030 )
Dr Busuttil said that Dr Kessler's revelation that the police commissioner had not cooperated with Olaf, which sought his help three times, was a clear breach of European law, as Dr Kessler himself pointed out.
This was also a clear case of government interference and hindrance in the work of an independent institution, similar to the situation between the Minister of Home Affairs and the Ombudsman in the case of the AFM officers.
Dr Kessler had also said that on June 19 this year, a source known to him informed him that during a meeting held on that day in Brussels, Mr Dalli told this source to tell him (Dr Kessler) not to go to Malta because if he did so, he might be arrested.
This was extremely serious, Dr Busuttil said.
The police commissioner, appointed directly by the prime minister, had hindered Olaf and in so doing he broke European law.
The prime minister was on record saying he had directly appointed Mr Peter Paul Zammit. Therefore he now needed to assume his responsibilities.
This letter also proved the Opposition right when it said there had been political interference in the John Dalli investigations by the police.
What had happened threatened democracy and ridiculed Malta at a European level. This sort of thing only happened in banana republics led by dictators, Dr Busuttil said.
POLICE COMMISSIONER'S REACTION TO KESSLER'S LETTER
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit in a statement said there had only been one request from Olaf and he replied after making the necessary verifications.
Mr Zammit said that the request did not conform and respect local procedure. Even if the legal procedures had been followed, the request lacked a legal basis to be accepted. He was there to abide by the law in all its aspects and would not allow to collection of alleged evidence in breach of the law, the police commissioner told TVM.