Union’s health commissioner, John Dalli
17 October 2012. The European Union’s health commissioner, John Dalli, resigned after the EU’s anti-fraud office found that he was aware of an attempt at corruption surrounding new legislation on the Swedish tobacco product known as snus. Snus is a type of smokeless tobacco sold in loose form or in paper sachets that users stuff under their upper lip. Snus sales are banned in the EU, except in Sweden, which insisted on an exemption when it joined the EU. The EU’s anti-fraud office sent a report to the Commission after it investigated a complaint by Swedish Match, a tobacco producer. The Commission said that a Maltese businessman had tried to use his alleged contacts with Dalli to get financial benefit from Swedish Match in return for pressing Dalli to influence future tobacco laws on snus.
