Transparency International’s statement on Commissioner Dalli’s resignation
This was published on Tuesday, when Dalli’s resignation was announced and before Giovanni Kessler spoke to the press the following day.
Posted 16 October 2012 by Transparency International Liaison Office to the European Union
Transparency International welcomes the swift action taken by the European Commission in relation to the allegations concerning the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli.
The full facts of the OLAF case have yet to be disclosed and we have seen reports that Commissioner Dalli disputes elements of the Commission’s statement. We note with concern however the allegations referred to in the Commission statement that there were attempts to unduly influence EU policy making.
Jana Mittermaier, Director of the TI EU Office, said, “the Commission statement is a worrying sign that despite the efforts made in recent years to clean up, selling influence and personal connections may still be a feature of EU lobbying. If that is the case, EU institutions need to take anti-corruption measures much more seriously.
This includes strict adherence to the Code of Conduct for Commissioners and a mandatory register for lobbyists and interest groups. We note that OLAF has handed its report to the Maltese Attorney General and we look forward to a thorough investigation and swift resolution of the allegations”.
Transparency International will follow the case closely as it unfolds, and awaits with interest the statement of OLAF Director-General Kessler at midday tomorrow. For now, we would like to highlight that lobbying of EU institutions is an area fraught with corruption risks.
A 2012 TI report on corruption risks in Europe (Money, Politics, Power: Corruption Risks in Europe) has also identified lobbying as a corruption risk hotspot across the Union. 19 European countries have yet to implement legislation to control lobbying, while those that have legislation in place often lack enforcement mechanism and sanctions for non-compliance.
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Yes, it is indeed important to keep the heat on because I am really worried that the case will be shelved now or swept under a thick carpet to be peeped at once in a while when nobody else is looking and everybody has lost interest.
Oh, and by the way, I was also dismayed at the prime minister’s (lack of) stance on the issue.
[Daphne – I wasn’t merely dismayed. I think it is so wrong, and also so very ill-advised. People expect leadership and a strong moral stance in situations like this. He didn’t have to admit to a mistake. All he had to do was say ‘Dalli let Malta down.’]
“I was also dismayed at the prime minister’s (lack of) stance on the issue.”
Dismayed? Putting it mildly I am fuming.
This is taking the same route as the infamous 500 Euro increase. No regrets.
Sorry, Mr Prime Minister, but what happened is regretful to say the least and if you don’t feel that way than you are out of sync with a good number of your countrymen.
Admittedly everyone is clever with hindsight (not that it wasn’t clear enough beforehand) but at this stage a lucid stand needs to be assumed and it has to be done without delay.
Or perhaps even more appropriately that he cannot comment until the Attorney General’s Office has concluded its investigation and he has reviewed the AG’s findings and conclusions.
Daphne Gonzi is not in a position to pass judgement until he is found guilty
[Daphne – You might have failed to notice, but he has been found to be so guilty that, at the close of investigations, his resignation was demanded and an international press conference called.]
The “attempt to unduly influence EU policy making” was successfully accomplished by Swedish Match, with the aid of OLAF, succeeded to shelve, at least temporarily, impending stricter measures against the availability of snus outside Sweden.
I think we need to be careful here.
Fraud is a crime.
However, only a criminal court, set up under law and subject to the due legal process, can process and find a person guilty of a crime. No other entity or system can process a person criminally, or inflict punishment for an alleged crime.
This matter is established and protected in Articles 6 and 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and in our constitution.
Moreover, the presumption that a person is innocent until found guilty must prevail.
What we have for now is a result of an investigation by a specialist office.
That result states that there exist “unambiguous circumstantial pieces of evidence gathered in the course of the investigation indicating that he (Dalli) was indeed aware of the machination of requests of the Maltese entrepreneur and of the fact that this person was using his name of commissioner, and the position, to gain financial advantage.”
As a result, the results have now been passed to the Attorney General of Malta to determine whether to bring charges, and if yes, what charges.
However, Mr. Dalli has let Malta down. Although, this is not a crime, it carries a lot of weight.
If they managed to get 30,000 signatures to protest against the car parks privatization then somebody should get at least the same amount demanding sight of the OLAF report.
Dalli was the public’s highest paid official and the public should demand to know exactly what there highest paid official was up to.
Today many Maltese wish that their name was Peter Grech.
OLAF did not find Dalli guilty of anything – that judgment is completely outside its competence. It has opined that Dalli has got a case to answer and It referred the case to the Attorney General in Malta for any action he may deem necessary.
The sad thing is that he has managed to cast a huge shadow over the legitimate and professional lobbyist in Brussels, many of them having worked so very hard to demonstrate transparency and strict adherence to ethical in the last 15 years.
Now all this is being questioned again. Thanks, Johhny Boy.