John Dalli held irregular meetings with tobacco lobbyists, court hears

The former director-general of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Giovanni Kessler, testified on Wednesday how former EU Commissioner John Dalli held meetings with tobacco lobby groups in breach of the commission’s rules.

“It is forbidden for members of staff and EU institutions to hold private meetings with tobacco lobbyists,” Kessler remarked, stressing on the importance of transparency. Commissioners cannot meet with lobbyists unaccompanied. He recalled Dalli telling investigators that he was aware of this rule.

Kessler was testifying via video link in the compilation of evidence against Dalli, who stands charged with trading in influence and attempted bribery over an alleged €60 million bribe requested by his former aide, Silvio Zammit, to help life an EU-wide ban on snus tobacco.

Snus is only available for sale in Sweden under a derogation. It is otherwise banned in Europe.

Dalli had stepped down from EU Commissioner in October 2012 over allegations that he was aware that Zammit had asked for a bribe from a tobacco company to modify EU legislation and done nothing about it. Zammit was charged over the case but died before the case was concluded.

He told Magistrate...