Josef Grech always admired Dom Mintoff and, 10 years ago, he started working on compiling a book about his political idol which he recently completed in prison while serving time for fraud offences.

The 31-year-old yesterday launched his book outside Parliament saying that, before it hits the bookshelves in January, a gold engraving of Mr Mintoff’s signature will be printed on the cover.

Mr Grech is aware that both the former Prime Minister’s family and the Labour Party have dissociated themselves from the Dom Mintoff Foundation he founded.

But Mr Grech, who claims to hold a doctorate in music, feels that his €60 book tells the whole story and people can chose to buy what they want.

The 1,048-page book, called Duminku Mintoff u Malta fi Żmienu, opens with a note from the author and a foreword by former notary Sandro Schembri Adami, who has been jailed for defrauding clients.

Its 96 chapters track the life of Mr Mintoff – from his first speech in Parliament to his last performance in the same arena when he voted against his own party, forcing an early election.

The book also looks Mr Mintoff’s connections with Front Maltin Inqumu, a pressure group which campaigned against Malta’s accession into the EU.

Mr Grech got to know Mr Mintoff personally when he became a member of the front. Mr Mintoff, he said, often phoned him and asked him to give him a lift or run an errand.

“Mr Mintoff was abandoned by all and I felt I should write about him… I started working on the book in 2002 and finished the last 10 chapters in prison,” he said.

He was in jail when he heard the news of Mr Mintoff’s death on August 20. “I was very sorry and cried,” he said.

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