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Swedish Match vice-president: Zammit made offer to our Maltese consultant
“I’m not proud of us being part of the resignation of Dalli,” says snus lobby chairman and Swedish Match vice-president Patrik Hildingsson.
24 October 2012, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
4 min read
John Dalli was said to have told a snus lobbyist that reversing the ban on snuff tobacco would have been political suicide.
The chairman of the smokeless tobacco lobby that offered Silvio Zammit a fee to set up an informal meeting with the EU's former health commissioner John Dalli, has said his company Swedish Match was "not proud of being part of Dalli's resignation."
Patrik Hildingsson, the chairman of the European Smokeless Tobacco Council (ESTOC) but also the vice-president for public affairs of Swedish Match, the Swedish snus manufacturer, is believed to be behind the company's original complaint to the European Commission which led to an OLAF investigation that found circumstantial evidence that Dalli knew that Zammit had asked for €60 million from Swedish Match to influence upcoming anti-tobacco laws.
In an interview to Europolitics, Hildingsson said Swedish Match used the services of a Maltese consultant, described as "an internal market lawyer" who set up one meeting with Dalli to learn what the commissioner knew about snus, which is banned across the EU except in Sweden, which enjoys a dispensation since accession in 1992.
"There was a first meeting with Dalli in early January and a second one in February to hand over WHO [World Health Organisation] science on snus," Hildingsson said.
Dalli is not accused of requesting the money, but OLAF says there is "unambiguous" evidence he was aware of the payment requests and did nothing to stop them. Dalli has insisted he was unaware of any request by Silvio Zammit for money.
According to the Wall Street Journal, quoting anonymous sources "familiar with the biggest corruption probe to hit the EU's top ranks in years", the request was made during a 10 February meeting in Malta. Dalli is not accused of requesting the money, but OLAF says there is "unambiguous" evidence he was aware of the payment requests and did nothing to stop them. Dalli has insisted he was unaware of any request by Silvio Zammit for money.
The Wall Street Journal said a source familiar with the details of the investigation said Dalli first denied to OLAF investigators that he had met with Zammit on 10 February, but later acknowledged that the meeting, which allegedly took place in his private office, took place.
Dalli previously said that he met a Maltese lawyer on 6 January, as well as ESTOC's secretary-general Inge Delfosse on 7 March in a public consultation meeting on the Tobacco Products Directive.
According to Hildingsson, Dalli had told the lawyer that lifting the snus ban would kill his political career. "He said, according to the feedback I got, that it would be a political suicide to lift the ban. Then he left the meeting and we were alone with a man, an entrepreneur. He was supposed to be a friend of Dalli and did not have any relationship with Swedish Match. He continued the meeting and asked why Dalli would take a suicidal political decision without gaining anything. The solution was simple: we had to pay."
According to Hildingsson, this man was Silvio Zammit, who explained how €60 million would have reversed the snus ban. "I then alerted our legal department and we decided to cut any dialogue with any Maltese individuals, including our own consultant. We haven't been in contact since then. We alerted the Swedish government. However, we realised how difficult the situation was: professionally to me the decision was very easy: 'no thanks'. Emotionally, being an EU citizen, it was very demotivating [sic].
"It seems that nothing matters, it's all about paying up. But the entrepreneur kept on calling us and in late March he restated that he had an offer that would solve everything for the snus industry."
It is also known that ESTOC secretary-general Inge Delfosse asked Zammit to set up a meeting with Dalli, in an email dated 16 March 2012.
"We decided to inform the Commission. But we did not file a complaint about Dalli: we never wanted a commissioner to resign. It is not in our interest to delay the adoption of the directive. We just want a fair assessment of our opportunities. We are one of the few that are not allowed to be part of our own home market. There is no rationale for us in trying to stop any directive."
Hildingsson said that he regretted being portrayed as the plotter behind the resignation of the commissioner, who according to OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler, was not found to have had any direct link to Zammit's alleged bribe offer.
"It's very seldom that a whistleblower comes out in a favourable way. It is very difficult. But what alternative did we have? Should we just have stayed quiet? We think there was clear indication of corruption, so we reacted. That is our policy, our culture. But we also realise that being a whistleblower is tough.
"If we are being punished for that, well, this corporation in Brussels will not have many whistleblowers left. And that would be very sad. It is important that whistleblowers are not punished. But being a whistleblower will not benefit us in the Commission. Doing the right things makes me sleep better. I'm not proud of us being part of the resignation of Dalli."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Ghall-kurzita, min hu l-propjetarju tal-Wall Street Journal? Ghal li jista' jkun xi eks-Awstraljan?
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Have no comments on this.......what has been going on!!!!!
“The export ban on snus has always been difficult to justify. For Swedish Match, Sweden’s membership of the EU has effectively shut the doors to neighbouring markets, contradicting the founding principles of the EU to open up for increased trade. Regulations banning the export of traditional products do not belong in a union founded on free trade,” Patrik Hildingsson said.
In the interests of Swedish trade, the government’s call on the Commission is in principle important, but there is a risk that a review of existing regulations will be a drawn out process. Swedish Match urges the Swedish government to actively pursue a phasing out of the export ban, and the Trade Minister’s letter is a welcome first step.
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Swedish Match is a global Group with a broad offering of market-leading brands in smokefree tobacco products, cigars, pipe tobacco and lights products. The Group’s global operations generated sales of 13,061 MSEK for the twelve month period ending September 30, 2008. The Swedish Match share is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm (SWMA).
http://www.snuscentral.org/legislation/sweden-attacks-snus-ban.html
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Ghall-kurzita, min hu l-propjetarju tal-Wall Street Journal? Ghal li jista' jkun xi eks-Awstraljan?
Chris Tanthi •
On the 10th February 2012, Zammit allegedly suggests to a Consultant of the European Smokelss Tobacco Council that €60 million would ensure a review of the Tobacco Directive favourable to the Smokeless Tobacco Industry.
On the 16th March 2012, The Secreatry General of the European Smokelss Tobacco Council emails Zammit and asks what his fee for setting up a meeting with Dalli would be.
Surely clarification from ESTOC (not to mention OLAF) is called for.
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Ghall-kurzita, min hu l-propjetarju tal-Wall Street Journal? Ghal li jista' jkun xi eks-Awstraljan?
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How can the Vice President of Swedish Match, Mr. Patrik Hildingsston be taken seriously when trying to push himself as a whistleblower when his tobacco firm were willing to pay €10M just for a meeting with Mr. Dalli and an extra €50M if the legislation does not go through. OLAF must be ashamed of themselves for believing Swedish Match and their corrupt practices and accusing Mr. Dalli in the first place. Yes I believe a set up was made against Mr. John Dalli and became a victim and President Barroso was happy to oblige in this conspiracy!!!.
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Mr Kessler's OLAF is soon bound to a new set of procedures, one of which says, in Article 7 par. 4, that "In duly justified cases where it is necessary to preserve the confidentiality of the investigation
and/or entailing the use of investigative proceedings falling within the remit of a national
judicial authority, the Director-General may decide to defer the fulfilment of the obligation to
invite the person concerned to comment." I believe that Mr Kessler needs to "duly justify" his decision why Mr Dalli should not be invited to comment. Mr Dalli's comments would not have endangered the Maltese judicial authority's investigation, would it? Nor would there any need that I could see for the confidentiality of the investigation to be kept preserved.
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According to this Malta Today article "Then he left the meeting and we were alone with a man, an entrepreneur. He was supposed to be a friend of Dalli and did not have any relationship with Swedish Match. He continued the meeting and asked why Dalli would take a suicidal political decision without gaining anything. The solution was simple: we had to pay."
If what is stated in this paragraph is the sequence in which events took place then I cannot see how OLAF could have taken a decision other than the one taken. I am afraid that Dalli was very naive to let a character like Silvio Zammit proceed with a meeting in which he was present and compromise it the way he did.
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"....but OLAF says there is "unambiguous" evidence he was aware of the payment requests and did nothing to stop them." Meaning crystal clear evidence, yet the commission will not publish the report publicly. What is worrying is the cool but cautious way the PM handled the situation. Are there more big fish mentioned in the report? 60 million euros who was to gain from all that money? Wasa a political party in line for big fat donation that would see it in power?
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Naqbel perfettament ma Thorny. Ma nistax nifhem ghaliex din l-ghaggla kollha, meta l-kaz qieghed jigi nvestigat u meta Dalli ghadu jitqies bhala innocenti sakemm jkun ippruvat li hu hati. Allura ghaliex il-bidla mghaggla tal-Kummissarju? Specjalment meta Dalli ghadu lanqas ra r-rapport in kwestjohi. Lanqas nista nifhem kif il-PL jista jaqbel ma dan kollu. FL-ewwel lokk ma l-ghaggla li jkun mibdul Dalli u fit-tieni lok mal-ghazla ta Tonio Borg. Tonio Borg kien kontra d-divorzju u tkellem diversi drabi kontra il-gay rights. Il-kaz ta Buttiglione jafu kulhadd. X'se jaghmlu s-socjalisti Maltin jekk is-Socjalisti u l-liberali u l-Greens ikunu kontra l-ghazla ta Tonio borg? Se jivvutaw kontra s-socjalisti? Ghalija ma taghmilx sens. Fuq nota lokali, Tonio Borg kien ghamel zball kbir li qatt ma sar qabel, meta fil-Parlament kien gideb fuq Deputat Mara, dak kiz-zmien 'pregnant' biex ibiddel vot mehud fil-Parlament. Din hija xi haga gravi hafna. Meta tkellimt fuq dan ma wiehed habib tieghi Ingliz, lanqas ried jemmen li dawn l-affarijiet jigru fil-Parlament Malti. Kellu ragun il-PL li jnehhi l-ftehimt al-paring sakemm Tonio borg jaghmel apologija lill-MP Justyne Caruana. Issa dan spicca kollu. Hasra kbira u zball kbir. IIz-zewg Partiti kellhom l-ewwel jistennew l-ezitu tal-kaz, imbaghad tittiehed decizjoni. Ghalija l-fatt li gie proponut b'daqshekk ghaggla Tonio Borg huwa hazin ghaliex jista jinfluwenza l-process. L-istess bhal diskussjoni fil-Parlament. Il-voti mhux kollox.
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Let me guess - Swedish Match are using Malta for lowering their taxes ? Who is their consultant - is he politically connected?
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U min hum dan il-lawyer li semmew? U fejn nafu li dan Silvio Zammit ivvintax kollox minnn zniedu-ghax hekk imdorri fil-politika ta GonziPN?
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But certainly happy with the way things have turned out for the Tobacco industry, and its controlling, compromised, held-up EU Tobacco directive. To complete the web of unsavory events, now we have that Barroso fellow, enticing the EU Parliament to confirm Tonio Borg, or else suffer a no-go for the much anticipated Tobacco Directive that would save so many lives. If this is not a ploy, well concocted by the Tobacco industry with copious aid from certain Brussels/Maltese savvy, well connected politios, then I do not know what is. Just watch the venom coming out from these politicos usual gatekeepers.
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It is clear that the tobacco company may offer money as in their email to Zammit and Maltese people have to be away from any circumstance.
Facts are being forgotten on purpose, namely:
i. the directive is to be in place if Dalli was not sacked;
ii. no money were paid;
iii. Dalli never involved in any money or offer discussion;
iv. Barroso and Kessler sacked Dalli without even issuind the report;
V. Gonzi accepted Barroso decidion without having the report;
vi. OPM assisted OLAF but not our Maltese Commisioner.
I conclude that there was no reason to shelf the directive and would like to ask if Tonio Borg will not be accepted then the directive will stay away longer and may be forever by a democratic eu.
