Dom Mintoff’s family has formally asked the police to investigate the setting up of Fundazzjoni Duminku Mintoff by Professor Josef Grech just a few days after the demise of the former Prime Minister.

Mr Mintoff’s eldest daughter, Yana, yesterday denied giving the family’s consent to the founding of this organisation, as claimed by the foundation. She said she had asked the Police Commissioner to investigate its authenticity.

“I’ve never given my consent to the setting up of this foundation and our family has nothing to do with it,” she told The Times.

Asked whether she had any contact with the founder and approved the publication of her father’s biography, authored by Prof. Grech, Ms Mintoff was unequivocal: “I don’t know who this Prof. Grech is and never met him.”

Even the Labour Party, which has tasked one of its deputy leaders to start preparing commemorative activities in memory of its former leader, distanced itself from the initiative.

“We don’t know the foundation or its founders and we want to make it clear that it has nothing to do with us,” Toni Abela said yesterday.

In response to a Labour statement dissociating itself from the organisation, the Mqabba-based foundation hit back at Labour.

Its founders, it said, were “true Mintoffians” who had never called Mintoff a traitor and never abandoned him. The reference was to the 1998 events following Mr Mintoff’s bringing down of the Labour party in government.

Hitting back, Dr Abela said this type of statement showed that the foundation’s aims were not genuine.

“We have serious suspicions about the true agenda of this foundation,” Dr Abela said.

A spokesman for the foundation, however, insisted yesterday that the organisation’s aim was to keep Mr Mintoff’s legacy alive through the publication of a biography and of various speeches by the former Prime Minister.

Doreen Spiteri, one of the founders, said Prof. Grech was very close to Mr Mintoff and was writing a biography according to Mr Mintoff’s own recounting of his experiences. “We called Ms Mintoff last week and she didn’t object to this foundation,” Ms Spiteri said.

“I really don’t know why the party wants to reject us as we Mintoffians are also Labourites,” she said.

The foundation, which according to Ms Spiteri is in the process of being registered with the Commissioner for NGOs, is sending letters to families asking them to become members, against a fee and a donation.

Denying that the foundation would be making a profit from its activities, its spokesman said that “many already had joined”.