‘I deny all allegations of any wrongdoing’ – Silvio Zammit

The former Sliema deputy mayor implicated in an OLAF investigation that claimed he brokered meetings between the smokeless tobacco lobby and former EU health commissioner John Dalli, in a bid to extract financial benefit, has denied all allegations that he committed any wrongdoing.

"I strongly deny all allegations of any wrongdoing on my part - which have been circulating in the press, following the stand taken by OLAF," Silvio Zammit, a Sliema restaurateur said.

"I decided to resign my post as deputy mayor and Sliema councilor to be free to defend myself, my integrity and reputation," Zammit said.

Zammit categorically denied ever receiving any payment from the Swedish company Swedish Match the European Smokeless Tobacco Council. "My role was that of a lobbyist and all my contributions in the matter were above board and regular, in consonance with established practices.  I was contacted by the foreign party and it was them that set the ball rolling."

Zammit said he would "leave no stone unturned" to prove he was extraneous to the case and demonstrate that OLAF's conclusions were "erroneous and seriously baseless - and cannot be substantiated by evidence, not even circumstantial evidence. I strongly feel that OLAF have seriously misinterpreted the evidence they have in hand. I will not, for this moment, try to interpret why such a turn of events may have come about."

Zammit is claiming he was approached by Swedish Match, or ESTOC, to broker an informal meeting with European Commissioner John Dalli - ostensibly to influence anti-tobacco legislation the Commissioner was about to unveil.

ESTOC wants its brand of tobacco snuff - kwown as snus - to be available across all of the EU because the product can only be retailed in Sweden, under an exemption the country got when it joined the EU. Snus is banned in the rest of the EU.