Gayle Kimberley questioned by police over Dalligate

The Maltese lawyer initially identified by OLAF as an accomplice to an alleged bribe attempt, was interrogated earlier today by the police over the Dalligate affair.

Gayle Kimberley was taken in for police questioning over new evidence on the role she played in the request for a €60 million bribe from Swedish tobacco company Swedish Match, and the European smokeless tobacco lobby ESTOC.

Silvio Zammit, a restaurateur who asked for the bribe on suggestion that he would influence former European Commissioner John Dalli to reverse a retail ban on Swedish tobacco snus, is facing charges of trading in influence and complicity with John Dalli for bribery. Dalli was not charged.

But Kimberley, identified by the EU's anti-fraud agnecy OLAF as a possible accomplice, was never arraigned by police.

Iosif Galea, a mutual friend of Zammit and Kimberley's, was also brought in for questioning.

MaltaToday is informed that new evidence seen by police concerns, in part, email correspondence between Kimberley and her husband Matthew Kimberley and Silvio Zammit. The emails suggest that Kimberley may have had a role in encouraging Zammit how to frame his request. Kimberley has denied the allegations during questioning by Zammit's defence lawyer, during the compilation of evidence against Zammit.

The emails show that Zammit was forwarded a proposal from Matthew Kimberley, with his wife Gayle Kimberley copied in the email, which was to be sent to Inge Delfosse, secretary-general of ESTOC.

A bank statement belonging to Silvio Zammit shows Matthew Kimberley's firm, You Rock Ltd, paid Zammit the sum of €3,540 on 2 March 2012, two weeks after Gayle Kimberley was asked by Swedish Match to sever all contact with Zammit.