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News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 JUNE 2014 MATTHEW VELLA GIOVANNI Kessler, the director of the EU's anti-fraud agency OLAF, has confirmed being asked to tes- tify at a hearing of the privileges committee of the House of Repre- sentatives, where the committee is considering a breach of privilege complaint raised by the Prime Min- ister. The committee is investigating Joseph Muscat's complaint against Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, who in October accused the Prime Minister of interfering in the po- lice investigation against former EU commissioner John Dalli. During a parliamentary debate Muscat had asked Busuttil to with- draw or substantiate the allegation. Busuttil refused and Muscat filed a breach of privilege complaint. Busuttil had argued that a series of political actions, mainly the ap- pointment of Peter Paul Zammit as Police Commissioner and the reap- pointment of the team investigating the Dalli case, led him to deduce that there had been political inter- ference in the case. "He is currently considering how best to respond to this invitation," the OLAF press office told MaltaTo- day when asked whether Kessler will be testifying in the privilege com- plaint hearing. Busuttil failed to turn up at the last sitting of the privileges committee, stating that he had nothing to add to what he had declared in parliament, and that he would substantiate his claims with various witnesses he will present in the hearings. "When the Opposition presented its evidence in committee, there was constant hindrance by govern- ment members, who demanded a list and reason for each witness named. Since February, the Opposi- tion requested to have OLAF direc- tor Giovanni Kessler to testify in the committee, but in today's sitting there was every sort of attempt not to have him testify," the PN said at the last sitting on 6 June. Kessler is expected to be the oppo- sition's first witness, with the next meeting scheduled for 4 July. In 2012, Kessler, 56, took centre- stage in the Dalligate affair as the chief of the EU's anti-fraud office OLAF, who had led an investigation into Dalli's alleged involvement in a bribery attempt. Dalli resigned on 16 October but was not given access to the OLAF investigation conducted on Silvio Zammit, a restaurateur accused in court of having solicited a €60 mil- lion bribe from Swedish Match to reverse an EU ban on the retail of snus, a smokeless tobacco legally sold only in Sweden. Zammit denies the charges, while a Swedish Match lobbyist whom OLAF said should be liable on simi- lar charges – Gayle Kimberley – was never charged by the Maltese po- lice. Giovanni Kessler considering request to testify in 'Dalligate' privileges committee hearing Republic Street, Valletta next to the Courts OLAF chief Giovanni Kessler has yet to confirm whether he will testify in the privileges' committee

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