OLAF looking into Dalli’s international business links in ‘Bahamas probe’

An investigation by the EU's anti-fraud agency OLAF into the business activities of former European Commissioner John Dalli is looking into overseas activities and undeclared visits to countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the Reuters news agency reported today.

A single quote attributed to OLAF director-general Giovanni Kessler was that OLAF was looking into Dalli's "international activities".

"We are looking into whether such international activities were compatible with his obligations as a commissioner at the time," Kessler told Reuters.

The investigation stems from a complaint by a Bahamas landlord, who told the anti-fraud agency back in December 2012 that Dalli had booked his villa to meet a group of businessmen back in August 2012 and organised the transfer of millions in cash.

Dalli was forced to resign in October 2012 after OLAF claimed that he was aware that his associated Silvio Zammit had solicited bribes from smokeless tobacco lobby ESTOC and Swedish manufacturers Swedish Match, to overturn the EU's retail ban on snus.

While Zammit was charged with bribery in December 2012 - a day after the Nationalist government lost a budgetary vote that forced it to call early elections - Dalli was never arraigned. Former police commissioner John Rizzo claims Dalli was in Brusses seeking medical treatment while he was occupied with security arrangements for the 2013 elections. His successor Peter Paul Zammit, appointed by the new Labour government after its March victory, claims there is no case to be made against Dalli but the investigation has not yet been closed.

The so called Bahamas allegations are distinct from the Dalligate affair. The former deals with business links or undeclared visits that Dalli would have made, in breach of the Code of Commissioners.

Dalli, 65, told Reuters he had no knowledge of the expanded OLAF investigation and declined to comment further. He has previously denied any wrongdoing.

The case broke during the summer of 2013, after it had been made categorically clear that the police would not be charging Dalli over the OLAF findings, which cites circumstantial evidence that Dalli may have been aware of the tobacco bribe.