Former MP pens Christian tome from inside prison cell

The former MP Sandro Schembri Adami has published a book on his newfound religious faith, contemplating the meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.

The notary, 51, who was sentenced for fraud and misappropriation of taxes paid to the state by his own clients, said in a statement issued by publishers Dom Communications that it was “the silence of the prison cell” that led him to write the book, entitled ‘Iġġustifikati f’Demmu’ (Justified by His blood).

“I learnt to meditate, I spoke to my conscience, I let the Bible speak to me... I was serving a prison sentence but it was Christ who justified me through his blood,” Schembri Adami writes.

Schembri Adami is a specialist in international maritime law who served as a Labour MP between 1996 and 1998. He describes himself as a “prisoner who uses his time to teach, write books and study. He sees himself as a rebel for a just cause. He believes in himself but he mainly believes in the God that strengthens him.”

Schembri Adami was jailed for two years in 2011 after he failed to return €6,500 he had defrauded from clients. The notary owed a total of €74,000 to 16 creditors.

Dom Communications is operated by Josef Grech, a vanity publisher who rode on the passing of former prime minister Dom Mintoff to publish a slew of reference books containing speeches and historical collections on the Labour Party leader.

Until 2012, Grech – also the man behind the Dom Mintoff Foundation – was serving time in prison over fraud-related charges. He was jailed after being found guilty of defrauding Bank of Valletta, HSBC and the government.