Artist Alfred Camilleri Cauchi has revealed that his winning design of Dom Mintoff’s statue earmarked for Castille Square was made according to the former prime minister's wishes.

In an interview with the Times of Malta the artist also reveals the final version of the monument approved by Mr Mintoff’s family. It shows Mr Mintoff waving, rather than defiant with a clenched fist.

Mr Camilleri Cauchi recounts that it was Mr Mintoff himself who had shown him, decades ago, what he wanted his monument to look like.

He pointed a finger at Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar as the person who decided to scrap plans for Mr Mintoff’s statue in Castille Square.

Spilling the beans on the saga, the renowned artist accused Mr Cutajar of “wanting a mellower version of Mintoff” than the one he had originally designed.

He said Mr Cutajar intervened to stop the project and told him in front of top Heritage Malta officials that “he didn’t like the statue”.

The 72-year-old artist, considered an authority where it comes to figurative monuments, dismissed Mr Cutajar’s accusation that his maquette was not original and said this was an excuse to assign the project to some other artist “friend”.

The Sunday Times of Malta revealed how, after scrapping Mr Mintoff’s statue, the Office of the Prime Minister commissioned, through a direct order, artist Valerio Schembri to provide a five-metre abstract memorial for the former prime minister.

Full interview in Times of Malta and timesofmalta.com Premium. See video above.