Dalli has to explain Bahamas trip – Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is expecting that former European Commissioner John Dalli explains his position to him personally, after the International Herald Tribune ran a front-page story on Monday claiming Dalli travelled to the Bahamas upon learning of a bribery investigation concerning him, to arrange a multi-million dollar transfer.

Dalli - appointed an advisor to Joseph Muscat on health issues - has denied carrying out any money transfer, and claims his Bahamas trip was related to a voluntary initiative for a philanthropic project with Africa as its target continent.

But he has declined to reveal details of the project. Dalli has also denied that his 7-8 July 2012 trip came a day after OLAF investigators interrogated Silvio Zammit, his canvasser, who stands accused in a Maltese court of law of soliciting a €60 million bribe from Swedish Match in a bid to reverse anti-tobacco laws that Dalli was spearheading. Dalli later resigned in October 2012 when OLAF claimed he was aware of the bribe.

Dalli is claiming that the Herald story was sourced from Barry Connor, a Bahamanian resident who rented his family a villa in Nassau to serve as a base for talks with US counterparts involved in the philanthropic initiative.

Dalli said that Connor offered his trust as a vehicle for the project, but that he was later scorned by his daughter when she refused to carry out a "suspect" financial transaction for him in Malta.