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Former Sliema Mayor spells out soccer ‘bribe’ mechanism to police
Nikki Dimech tells police middleman would receive money in a complex collection of payments for services related to tourism.
The former mayor of Sliema has declared in a sworn statement to police that football players were bribed through a 1.9 million fund.
The former mayor of Sliema and former vice-president of Sliema Wanderers football club has declared in a sworn statement to police that football players were bribed through a €1.9 million fund to benefit Sliema's premiership efforts between 2002 and 2005.
SWFC went on to win the championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004 in the years of the alleged slush fund.
The police statement - a copy of which was seen by MaltaToday - catalogues the method by which a middleman would receive money in a complex collection of payments for services related to tourism activities, and then proceed to buy the services of football players.
The middleman in question was close to parliamentary assistant Robert Arrigo, but later fell out of favour with the MP.
The police interrogation of Nikki Dimech, who has spilt the beans in the wake of his resignation as Sliema mayor and arraignment over charges of having asked for commissions on a council tender, also reveals that an investigation by the Tax Compliance Unit had failed to look into the origin of these funds.
Two weeks ago Arrigo, who was president of Sliema Wanderers and a mayor of Sliema before being elected as an MP, told MaltaToday that he himself had asked the Police Commissioner to investigate the allegations made against him. He also told the newspaper that he was being targeted by "an individual".
The Commissioner of Police had already been forwarded the allegations by the Prime Minister, after MaltaToday informed Lawrence Gonzi of the allegations.
It transpires that Dimech had already attempted to inform the police of match-fixing allegations, according to revelations emerging from the counter-examination of Police Inspector Angelo Gafa during the compilation of evidence against Nikki Dimech.
In a question to the office of the Prime Minister, MaltaToday also whether Lawrence Gonzi would be asking for Arrigo's resignation from the post of parliamentary assistant.
In 2004, Gonzi had told former foreign minister John Dalli that he could not have a minister in his Cabinet who was undergoing investigation, after Dalli was named by a private investigator in a report alleging the minister was paid kick-backs on a hospital tender. It later transpired that the report by Joe Zahra, a former Lorry Sant bodyguard and employee of media house Where's Everybody, had been false; but Dalli had already resigned in the face of the unproven allegations.
This story first appeared in MaltaToday on Sunday
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What is stupid about all this is that gonzi made John Dalli resign because "Ma nridx ikolloi membru tal-kabinet li jkun taht investigazzjoni", but this MP seems to be more privileged and was not asked to resign until such time investigations turn out to be negative.
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@winston zammit
Nikki spent at least 3 years as vice president to the MP being investigated.
No one is saying that there are irregularities or not that is why the police investigate, so winston better not spit any words you might have to lick back.
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@Winston Zammit
- This is all nonsense. Perception of wrongdoing where non exists.
And how can you vouch for your statement, mon ami?
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Obla di obla la and life goes on as if NOTHING has happened and everybody turns a blind eye in this island called Malta.
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This is all nonsense. Perception of wrongdoing where non exists.
Nikki Dimech would do himself and us a bigger favour if he simply shut his mouth from say a lot of bull just to cover up for his messy lifestyle.
Fabian Psaila •
Do Gonzipn and the OPM keep tabs on all MPs / Local Councilers / Back Benchers / Prospective Dissidents and their families to keep them quite and in their place?
Fabian Psaila •
Do Gonzipn keep tabs on all his MPs / Local Councilers / Back Benchers and their families to keep them quite and in their place?
