‘Dalli said ban on snus was absurd’

The Swedish tobacco manufacturer at the centre of the Dalligate scandal yesterday claimed John Dalli told a Maltese lawyer representing it that he thought the EU’s ban on snus – a smokeless tobacco product – was “absurd”. Swedish Match told The Sunday Times that the former Commissioner appeared well informed about snus and “its health consequences”. It also claimed that on February 10 a key meeting took place between the company’s Maltese lawyer, Mr Dalli and the middleman at the centre of the scandal, Silvio Zammit. The former Nationalist minister was forced to resign as EU Health Commissioner earlier this month following a probe by the EU’s anti-fraud agency, OLAF. The agency concluded there was “unambiguous circumstantial evidence” showing Mr Dalli was aware that Mr Zammit had asked Swedish Match for a substantial amount of money in return for the ban being lifted. Swedish Match said the lawyer had told the company that Mr Dalli said during the meeting that he had “the will, the arguments and the Commission’s support to lift the ban on snus, but also that it would mean political suicide for him”. The lawyer also told Swedish Match Mr Dalli mentioned he was willing to take...