Giovanni Kessler: “Every time Zammit asked for a bribe, it was after having met or spoken to Commissioner Dalli.”

John Dalli in Italy with (right) his henchman Silvio Zammit and (left) Iosif Galea, who was involved in an extra-marital affair with tobacco lobby counsel Gayle Kimberley at the time and was staying with her illicitly in a hotel in Spain when she was surprised by OLAF investigators and interrogated by Giovanni Kessler.

From the evidence given in court this morning –

Henchman Silvio Zammit rang European Commissioner John Dalli shortly after the tobacco lobbyist with whom he had been negotiating proposed a meeting with him.

Dalli terminated the call quickly because he was with other people. But when he was done, he rang Zammit back.

“Everytime Mr Zammit asks for a bribe, it was after having met or spoken to Commissioner Dalli,” European Commission anti-fraud investigator Giovanni Kessler told the court.