In the evidence that John Rizzo gave in the privileges committee today a new interesting point was revealed - Rizzo had not yet finalised his investigation as he needed to interview me again, former European Commissioner John Dalli said this evening. 

“This he did not do even if he had all the time in the world before I left Malta to institute legal proceedings against Swedish Match and against the Commission and after I returned which was before he was replaced,” he said.

Mr Dalli was replying to the testimony given by former police commissioner John Rizzo in the Privileges Committee today.

Former Police Commissioner John Rizzo

"How is Rizzo making these assertions when he still had not concluded his investigation?  Is this ethical behaviour on his part to publicise an opinion he held before he concluded his investigation?

"If we had had this interview after the OLAF report was leaked, it would have been I who would have asked Rizzo many questions that arise from an objective, intelligent reading of the OLAF report. 

"And I would have asked about his interview in Brussels with Johann Gabrielsson, when, as reported by Gabrielsson and corroborated by Cecilia Isaksson, Gabrielsson was advised by both OLAF and the Malta Police to continue stating his version about the meeting of the 10th February 2012, and which, back then, they all knew was a falsity, not to disrupt “investigations” in Malta.  Rizzo has not yet taken any action against Johan Gabrielsson for this serious statement.

"Rizzo stated that he believed I knew about trading in influence.  I again reject this in the most assiduous way.  I reiterate that I did not know of any attempt of trading in influence. The facts that even OLAF could not refute are that I was never swayed in my resolve to push through a tobacco directive which would have been effective," Mr Dalli said.