Labour to support Borg, hoping for expedient review by Attorney General

Opposition leader Joseph Muscat has appealed for an expedite review by the Attorney General of the facts in the OLAF investigation that has prompted the resignation of John Dalli from European Commissioner for health and consumer policy.

"We would like to see this process carried out in the same expedite manner as had taken place when Chris Said resigned his ministerial position," Muscat said referring to the justice minister's resignation from parliamentary secretary over allegations concerning a court case he was party to as a lawyer. Said was exonerated from the allegations.

Muscat also said that it was important to see the Dalli case cleared, especially due to Malta's international name but also because he did not wish to see the matter cloud MEPs' judgement of foreign minister Tonio Borg, the commissioner-designate.

"Borg will find it difficult to face up to his previous declarations," Muscat said, referring to the grilling Borg will have to face from MEPs before he is officially appointed health and consumer policy commissioner for the next 16 months.

"These matters are in fact already being raised in Brussels. What I don't wish for is to see Borg's hearing overshadowed so that MEPs can judge 'Borg as Borg'," Muscat said.

The Labour leader also said he supported Borg's nomination, and that statements by the European socialist MEPs' president Hannes Swodoba to appoint a new commissioner after the next general elections were his own opinion.

"We will not work against the national interest, we never wanted there to be a vacuum," Muscat said.

John Dalli resigned on Tuesday 16 October after he was read the covering letter of an investigation by the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF that claimed he was aware that one of his former canvassers, Silvio Zammit, was soliciting a bribe from Swedish Match, a company that produces snuff tobacco, in a bid to reverse tobacco legislation.

Dalli, who has denied the allegation, spoke to Muscat that same Tuesday at 5pm, the Labour leader said.