John Dalli puts health before politics

Former EU health and consumer policy commissioner John Dalli will not be contesting the 2013 general election and has no political plans, as he is currently recovering from medical treatment.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Dalli said that he had no political plans as he is focused on his ill health.

The former PN minister stepped down from his EU post in October following an investigation by the EU's anti-fraud office into a complaint made in May by the tobacco producer Swedish Match.

Asked whether he will be contesting the 9 March election, Dalli said: "No. I will not participate in the campaign in any capacity. I decided to stay out of it completely and following on-going recent developments my current priorities lay in recovering my health."

Commenting on the possibility of the creation of a new political formation, the former PN finance minister said he was not in a position to make any observations since he was detached from the local political scene for a long time.

Noting that things are very fluid in an electoral campaign, Dalli added: "However, looking at the post-Independence political history, it seems like it is a tall order."

Insisting that he was not approached for his advice on the creation of a new political party, Dalli also denied that he was in contact with dissenting Nationalist MP Franco Debono.

He said the last time the two spoke was in February, when Dalli had a "cordial conversation" with the MP in which he told the MP to concentrate on the reforms he was championing which in Dalli's opinion "made a lot of sense and which enjoys wide consensus in the country". 

Read the full report in Sunday's issue of Maltatoday.