Magistrate Anthony Vella echoed a lawyer's call today for foreign witnesses in the case against Silvio Zammit, the man accused of bribery and trading in influence when John Dalli was EU Commissioner for Health, tobe heard by video conferencing.

But lawyer Edward Gatt, who is representing Mr Zammit, said he understood that the foreign witnesses the Attorney General wanted to call to testify seemed reluctant to come to Malta.

Earlier today, lawyer Kenneth Grima, who represents the European Smokeless Tobacco Council, of which Swedish Match were members, said he did not know anything about the case but people called to testify had asked if it was possible for them to do so by video conferencing.

But Dr Gatt noted that former Police Commissioner John Rizzo, Inspector Angelo Gafa and former assistant Police Commissioner Michael Cassar had testified that this investigation had nothing to do with Olaf’s investigation.

He called on the Attorney General to regulate his position and not lengthen the procedures unnecessarily by getting foreign witnesses to testify in a case that was different to the Olaf one.

The case continues on October 9.