Dom Mintoff’s biographer Josef Grech,34, has been jailed for 20 months after defrauding musicians he hired on behalf of a Paola band club.
A court heard how Grech and Omar Caruana – who are both officials of the band club – issued a number of post-dated cheques to the musicians and then closed the account on which the cheques were drawn.
Caruana is a former Labour councillor for Tarxien.
Magistrate Antonio Vella noted that the band club’s finances were clearly being mismanaged and it was obvious the cheques could not be honoured.
Grech’s former partner Marion Williams used to give him money to pay the band club’s debts, yet the money was never returned to her.
Caruana, who was the band club’s treasurer, said he simply used to follow Grech’s instructions when it came to depositing and withdrawing money from the account.
The Magistrate called Caruana’s excuse “unacceptable,” particularly seeing that he was the band club’s treasurer and the sole signatory for the account.
The Magistrate also noted that Caruana reneged on a promise to pay back all those who ended up out of pocket.
Both Grech and Caruana were jailed for 12 months, with Grech having to serve an additional eight months for committing a crime while serving a suspended sentence.
Grech has appealed the judgement.
Grech set up the Fondazzjoni Duminku Mintoff shortly after the former Prime Minister passed away in 2012.
The Labour Party and Mintoff’s family both distanced themselves from the Foundation.
Inspector Jonathan Ferris prosecuted.