Now that he has turned down former European Commissioner John Dalli's
former aide for the role of ambassador to the Holy See, Foreign Affairs
Minister George Vella denies having discussed the allegations
concerning Dalli.
Vella said he would not go into "speculation" over Frank Zammit's
being overlooked for the post of ambassador to the Vatican.
Zammit served as an aide to Dalli
until his resignation from the European Commission in 2012.
Vella denied having "ever discussed with the prime minister the John
Dalli case or the allegations concerning Mr Dalli's Bahamas trips" when
considering Zammit for the post of ambassador.
Zammit was originally earmarked to be Malta's next ambassador to the
Vatican by Joseph Muscat's administration but appears to have been
overlooked for the post.
Zammit was told that it was Minister
George Vella who objected to his appointment, ostensibly over the
questions this appointment would raise in the aftermath of revelations
regarding John Dalli's 2012 trips to the Bahamas.
Dalli is currently an advisor to the government on health policy and is posted in an office at Mater Dei Hospital.
Zammit, who worked closely with John Dalli for years, resigned from
his post after the former commissioner was forced to resign by EC
President José Manuel Barroso.
This followed an OLAF investigation
alleging Dalli was aware of an attempt to trade in influence.
Zammit's
involvement with Dalli in 2004, at the time of the latter's party
leadership bid, led him to be ostracised by the Gonzi administration and
the Labour opposition.
Zammit is a former Nationalist mayor in the Labour stronghold of
Marsa and a former candidate and activist for the Nationalist Party. His
presence was once synonymous with John Dalli's, given that he
accompanied Dalli everywhere; and in recent years, he earned a
reputation for his extensive knowledge of the Vatican and his rapport
with various figures in the Vatican administration.
In March of this year, Zammit was given
the impression that he was being considered seriously for the role of
Malta's next ambassador to the Vatican.
This interest appears to have been revoked after the revelation that
the former EU commissioner had visited the Bahamas in the summer of 2013
under suspicious circumstances.