He denies receiving payment, but significantly does not deny asking for it
MEDIA PRESS RELEASE – SILVIO ZAMMIT
I strongly deny all allegations of any wrongdoing on my part – which have been circulating in the press, following the stand taken by OLAF, the European Anti Fraud Office.
I decided to resign my post as Deputy Mayor and councillor of the Siema Local Council. This to allow me to be free to defend myself , my integrity and reputation. Whilst experiencing a harsh time – shared
also by my family members.
I categorically state that I have never received any payment from the Swedish company Swedish Match or ESTOC ( European Smokeless Tobacco Council). My role was that of a lobbyist and all my contribution in the matter was above board and regular, in consonance with established practices. Furthermore, I confirm that I was contacted by the foreign party and it was them that set the ball rolling.
I will leave no stone unturned to prove that I am extraneous to the case and demonstrate that Olaf’s conclusions are 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.
Silvio Zammit
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Miskin Dalli erbgha tigri warajh.
coe? x’jigifieri “erbgha tigri warajh”?
Presumably it’s “tigri” as in “tigers”, in reference to the pic a couple of posts back. I suggest you change your nick, ‘Reporter’.
[Daphne – They’re not tigers anyway. No tigers in Africa.]
Tiger Woods was there once.
So someone gave them his email address.
Show us the original email Mr. Zammit, where Swedish Match contacted you asking for your services, since your international lobbying skills are apparently world famous, and only a man of your talents could solve their problem.
What a babbling fool.
He says his role was that of a lobbyist, which sidesteps the not insignificant fact that he wasn’t on the EC’s official register of lobbyists.
He also says that his contribution was “above board and regular, in consonance with established practices”. How could his involvement have been ‘above board and regular’, when he should never have been involved at all?
Well, he got the last bit right. His behaviour was in consonance with established practice. Shame it wasn’t the right sort.
“…and cannot be substantiated by evidence, not even circumstantial evidence.”
Why is he so certain? Has he seen the report by OLAF?
Is it possible that Silvio Zammit asked for that amount of money by means of an email?
Ghax haseb li qieghed jinnegozja ma xi wiehed tal-monti.
Or maybe he issued an invoice?
Is the Martin Sapiano commenting on Zammit’s Facebook the same Martin Sapiano presenting that inane early afternoon programme on Radio 101?
If that is so, then it definitely is a case of ”some mothers do ‘ave them”.
What a mess, whichever way one looks at it.
Yes, it is.
He is the very same “man”, for lack of a more appropriate word.more about him tonight.
Elaborate on this, Oscar.
What do they put in the imqaret?
@ Silvio Zammit
A Bible quote you should consider, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs…. And in the process, really fucked up your cash cow, John Dalli”
On another note however, I feel that lobbying should (must?) be done away with as it is an open interpretation for bribery and extortion, punto e basta!
I believe that the Swedish Match Company smelled a rat and knew they were getting short-changed for the non-refundable deposit sum of €10,000,000.00. (A substantial sum I add to say).
Silvio, xi hsibt, li qieghed tinnegozja ma xi tilar fuq xi suq tal monti?!
You were way over your depth here: Just stick to your take-out business.
I hopefully see that you and the likes of John Dalli are brought to face the music in our courts of justice. AG please note…I shall not be holding my breadth, mind you…
One could refer to this case as a ”Comedy of Errors”. Unfortunately, it is no comedy as it is Malta’s good name and reputation that is at stake.
I do not believe in that as one swallow does not a summer make…
Do remember that some years back, that an EU Admistration under Jacques Santer resigned on allegations of corruption, the whole 20 of them…
Malta’s good name may even be enhanced if the AG acts swiftly to settle this matter, whatever the outcome.
For sure all eyes are on Malta now.
I agree.
Transparency International said it will be monitoring the situation. For the time being we are in the 39th position on their Corruption Perceptions Index of 2011.
http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/
Sender: Swedish Match Corporation.
Dear Mr. Zammit,
It has come to our attention that you posses amazing debating skills, which enable you to convince anybody to change their opinion on any subject.
We are a manufacturer of a banned tobacco product in the E.U and we would like to give you 60 million euro to convince Mr.Dalli the EU commissioner to change the regulations and get our product legalized in the EU zone.
P.S could you DHL us some imqaret once we send you the 60 million.
Those legendary imqaret are worth every million.
Perhaps the EU is way too big for us, for our small mentality.
Let’s grow up, then.
So he resigned from deputy mayor and from the local council too.
But did he resign from the Nationalist Party, and if not, was he sacked?
http://news.sky.com/story/1000051/andrew-mitchell-resigns-after-plebs-row
In the meantime, John Dalli was interviewed again on New Europe TV.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20004962
‘I was contacted by the foreign party and it was them who set the ball rolling’.
‘I am extraneous to the case’.
His legal team’s English is quite acceptable.
However the wording is abysmal.
How on earth can you be contacted and the ball set rolling and at the same time be extraneous to the case?
A contradiction in terms.
When contacted he should have immediately passed the information on to the relevant authorities exactly like they did at the opportune time.
He should have pre-empted them.
He certainly did not.
I wonder why.
Hallina Silvio, lil min tahseb li ser titma r-ross bil-labbra?
Mela tahseb li d-dinja kollha tan-nejk bhalek.
The Swedish Company emerges a winner out of this embarrassing debacle, for conveniently whistleblowing the approach (they had or had not initiated).
Not only did they not spend a dime in bribes but now benefit from a frozen snus-banning directive and moreover, free publicity around Europe for their product (who of us other than Mr Silvio Zammit knew who Swedish Match are and what they produce any one day before this week?).
Swedish Match has employed very intelligent tactics that contrast sharply with the aspirationally cunning ‘modus operandi’ of Mr Zammit and his involved cohorts whoever they may be.
It is very obvious, car daqs il kristall, that the CEO of the Swedish company got to know of Silvio when he stopped to buy some imqaret.
Shall we put it on de rekord?
Hopefully no PN canvasser will beg for his vote this time. He can stuff it where the sun don’t shine. Let the ‘poplu’ get a taste of ‘il-moviment progressiv bla progress’. Cafcaf papru la sibt l-ilma !
Silvio Zammit will definitely face jail if it is proved in Court that he asked for money from Swedish Match to trade in influence.
If Dalli is proved to have only known about such events, and nothing else, he can only be answerable to breach of ethics, which is not a crime, thus outside the Court’s jurisdiction.
Surely not being criminally convicted will not mean he is scot free from political liability. This may explain Gonzi’s prudent comment as for now.
In fact, in my opinion, he should already be hiding his face from Maltese society for the downslide of Malta’s reputation in international quarters.
Lino during some robberies there are people who do nothing but observe (il palo in Italian) these people simply are a lookout, they do not physically participate in the actual robbery but share the spoils after. Try convincing any Court that this is not a crime. Get the drift?
Silvio Zammit can always say that he did what he did behind John Dalli’s back. But when the sum involved is 60 million Euro , who is going to believe Silvio?
Jista s-Sur Silvio Zammit jghidilna kif din il-Kumpannija Barranija saru jafu bih? Min introducieh maghhom? X’interess kellha dik il-persuna li introducitu mal-Kumpannija Barranija? Min issuggerilu kemm ghandu jitlob flus?
Kien se jzommhom kollha ghalih? Fil-kaz li le, ma min kien se jaqsam dik is-somma fantastika? Min kien qed imexxih lil Silvio f’din l-operazzjoni hekk delikata?
Min tah il-parir u serrahlu mohhu li dak li kien qed jaghmel “was above board and regular, in consonance with established practices?” Talab il-parir tal-konfessur tieghu?
Here comes into play the unnamed Maltese lawyer. He must have been consulted about this.
They were covering their behinds…. with legal talk.
Peppi’s restaurant could be an extra stop on the hop on/hop off tours. Maybe try some mqaret or one of the vending machines which are blocking the passage way for people who enjoy a quiet walk.
PizzO pizzO kanna, trid tghid …
Let us not run away with the idea that IF these allegations are correct, it is just the two persons who are involved.
[Daphne – If the allegations were not correct, Dalli’s resignation would not have been requested immediately the investigations were concluded.]
These things don’t work that way.
How did Swedish Match know that Silvio was one of Dalli’s canvassers?
Someone must have introduced him. I’m sure he didn’t just go to them without first having been recommended.
Does Swedish Match do any trading with Malta?
What I suspect is that there might be so many other people involved that the matter will be hushed up not to open Pandora’s box.
Silvio Zammi – PN Deputy Mayor of ther “reformed” Sliema Local Council.
Did you know?
Once a clown always a clown: Silvio zammit, a sleazy kiosk-owner from Sliema whose success rate depended solely on his connections to Maltese politicians, was way out of his league here.
He did manage to extend his encroachment on public land on the Sliema front and did manage a golden handshake from Alfred Sant’s government when he was kicked out of the national pool after he was appointed chairman way back before the 1996 election, but to attempt to broker a deal like that is unbelievable.
Whether he was a means to an end for Swedish Match is completely irrelevant here, and his trying to excuse himself on Facebook is stomach-turning. He should shut the f**k up and accept the criticism once he was big boy enough to risk the leap.
Sleazy as he might be, he had more class than the ex prim imhallef who was bribed for a few thousand Euro.
Is Silvio Zammit a registered lobbyist? Who introduced him to Brussels? He must be a very well-versed man to be able to infiltrate there.
I am sure he could not do the job alone. What is his educational background, may I ask?
Maybe I’m wrong, but I believe that up to a few days ago only Silvio Zammit, apart from John Dalli, knew about OLAF, ESTOC, Swedish Match etc etc.
Silvio Zammit should look on the bright side of this whole sage – His imqaret kiosk has got one hell of a lot of free, worldwide publicity, even if it came at Malta’s expense.