The Director-General of Olaf, Giovanni Kessler, this morning told a European Parliament committee that despite the recent declaration by the Maltese Police Commissioner on the Dalli investigation, nothing changed the facts uncovered by the EU’s anti-fraud office investigation which led to Mr Dalli’s resignation.

Attending another grilling session in front of the Committee for Budgetary control, Mr Kesselr once again defended the investigation which he said “gathered valuable evidence” showing irregular meetings of the former Commissioner with the tobacco industry and the irregular involvement of a third person, close to Mr Dalli, in these meetings.

He said that this person (Silvio Zammit), on the basis of the Olaf report, was charged with asking for a bribe of €60 million to influence a tobacco decision under the remit of the former Commissioner’s portfolio.

Mr Kessler said that the evidence also showed that “Mr Dalli met with him (Silvio Zammit) immediately before he mentioned the bribe request to the snus representative for the first time, and again, the Maltese entrepreneur contacted the Commissioner immediately before and after requesting, for the second time, a bribe in his name.”

“These contacts continued after the investigation was initiated, notably after key interviews with witnesses and persons concerned.”

Mr Kessler said that Olaf has always stated that there is no conclusive evidence that Mr Dalli was either the mastermind or an accomplice to this criminal activity.

However he said that on the basis of its investigation, “the Commission was put in a position to draw its own political an administrative conclusions.”