Immunity Waiver Clears Path for Dalli Trial

The European Commission waived John Dalli’s immunity from prosecution, allowing the court case against him to begin, reports The Independent.

“The commission can confirm that, on the request of the attorney general of Malta, the commission has waived the immunity of former Commissioner John Dalli,” a European Commission spokesperson said.

Dalli’s aide Silvio Zammit allegedly tried to obtain a €60 million ($71.17 million) bribe from Swedish Match to reverse the EU ban on snus (the company rejected the offer as improper and reported it to the European Commission). Dalli was the European commissioner for health at the time, in charge of managing reforms to the EU’s tobacco rules.

The European Commission forced Dalli to quit in 2012 due to the scandal after the EU’s anti-fraud office uncovered the bribery attempt. Zammit was charged in December 2012 for trading influence and complicity in the request.

Dalli insists the case is an orchestrated scheme created the “corrupt” media.

The case is set to begin on Dec. 21.