One of the investors who claims to have been swindled by firms registered to John Dalli's Portomaso address has challenged him to go to the US and sue them, so that he could then face the music in the US Justice system.
The challenge came after former European Commissioner Dalli said that an article published on the Malta Independent on Sunday, which says that a group of US investors have approached the FBI and the Maltese Police to investigate him, is "a conspiracy in extortion and blackmail".
The investors claim they were swindled out of money and that the alleged scam involves two companies registered at Mr Dalli's Portomaso address: Tyre Limited and Corporate Group. The two directors and shareholders of the latter company are John Dalli's daughters.
The group of American southern Christian investors were told that their money would be used to fund African miners who were unable to get financing from the banks.
Michael Brady, who represents a group of eight investors who lost $600,000, told our sister newspaper that the investment plan was offered to them by an intermediary acting on behalf of international fraudster Mary Swan, who also goes by the aliases of Emma Corbin and Lady Bird among others.
Commenting on Mr Dalli's claims of extorsion, and his threat to pursue the group of investors for defamation in the US courts, Regina L Hayessaid: "John Dalli I wouldn't leave your safe haven if I were you. People have been convicted on circumstantial evidence in the US courts."
She continued: "Calling us conspirators instead of victims is a bit much. If you say you know nothing about what went on with the company called Tyre Ltd. which sports your mailing address on it's letterhead; then I would go after those person's instead of threatening 70 year old ladies who've lost their life savings. You hide behind your daughters which is shameful. I'm wondering if you will go so far as to throw your daughter's under the bus to save your hide. We haven't shown all our cards yet, so don't think you are safe."
Dalli's statement
Mr Dalli issued a statement to reply to the article and is below:
"I refer to the article carried by the Independent on Sunday today entitled "FBI, Maltese Police asked to investigate company involved in John Dalli's Bahamas Trips".
This is a continuation of the defamatory agenda propagated by the newspapers issued by Standard Publications against me especially over the past months.
This article is not only defamatory. It is a conspiracy in extortion and blackmail.
I had absolutely nothing to do with any money transferred between people and the article tries to implicate me in an alleged criminal act. They also try to connect the trip to the Bahamas, which I never denied happened to these allegations. This is an intentional dishonest distortion and invention. As were the many allegations that I rented the villa in the Bahamas myself for my family and that I was discussing investments of millions of dollars. All of which inventions have now fizzled out.
I am seeking to also take action against these conspirators in the appropriate court in the US.
This, I believe is another attempt to fabricate some material that could be used by OLAF in their farcical investigation about the Bahamas. The complicity between OLAF and Standard Publications is proven by the illegal leaks of witness statements that were published by the Independent Newspaper some days ago.
In this context, I am sending another complaint on Dr. Giovanni Kessler and his perjury which ironically is confirmed by these statements leaked by the Standard Publications newspaper."
TMIS story: http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-05-10/local-news/FBI-Maltese-police-asked-to-investigate-company-involved-in-John-Dalli-s-Bahamas-trip-6736135258