Former Labour Finance Minister and author Lino Spiteri has died this evening. He was 76.
Mr Spiteri was born in Qormi on 21 September, 1938, and studied at the Lyceum, Plater College and St Peter's College, Oxford, where he obtained a diploma in social studies and a BA in politics and economics.
Spiteri became politically active in 1957 as a member of the Labour Party's national executive committee. He contested the election successfully for the first time in 1962.
He served as Finance Minister between 1981 and 1983 and Trade and Economic Planning Minister between 1983 and 1987. In 1996, he was appointed Finance Minister by Prime Minister Alfred Sant but resigned five months later in the wake of the controversy on the government's taxation policy.
He left politics in 1998.
Mr Spiteri served as a research officer with the Malta Chamber of Commerce and joined the Central Bank of Malta in 1970, where he later served as Chairman. In 2008 he was made Companion of the Order of Merit (K.O.M).
He was the author of several publications, including novels and short stories such as 'Anatomija - short stories' and 'Il-Halliel u stejjer ohra,' and was a regular newspaper contributor. He also served as deputy editor of It-Torca between 1964 and 1966 and head of publications at Union Press.
Mr Spiteri was married to Vivienne Azzopardi and they have four children, Noelle, Bertrand, Lara and Lincoln.
In a statement, the Nationalist Party paid tribute to Mr Spiteru and thanked him for his contribution to Maltese politics. He will be remembered for his long service in Parliament and for his literary work. It expressed its condolences to the Spiteri family.
On Saturday morning, the government, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Labour Party, in separate statements, also expressed their sorrow.