The man who set up the Dom  Mintoff Foundation as homage to the former Prime Minister, has been jailed for 20 months after being found guilty of fraud.

Josef Grech, 34, from Marsascala, was jailed after a court found him and a co-accused, Omar Caruana, guilty of defrauding musicians who they used to engage on behalf of the Lourdes Philharmonic Society of Paola. The crime took place in February 2010 and the preceding months.

Magistrate Antonio Vella heard how the men, who sat on the club’s committee, engaged musicians to play for the band club and issued cheques from an account that had been closed.

The court heard how Mr Caruana was the treasurer and also fell for Mr Grech’s tricks. However, the court noted how he had the responsibility, as the sole signatory on these cheques, that the funds were available.

Mr Caruana was jailed for a year while Mr Grech had eight months added to the total jail time after bringing into effect an eight-month suspended jail term over a different case decided in May 2010.

Police Inspector Jonathan Ferris prosecuted.