The signature on Oriana Fallaci’s will is a forgery, the late writer’s sister has said, thrusting a family feud into the courts. The Florence Prosecutor’s office this week began investigating Paola Fallaci’s accusations which cast doubt on the legitimacy of the current heir to the estate, Edoardo Perazzi, Poala’s son and Oriana’s nephew.

Paola’s dispute with her son surfaced in a 2008 interview when she described herself and her other son Antonio as “mistreated”, highlighting that her concerns were moral and ethical as opposed to financial. According to Paola Fallaci, for example, Oriana never wanted anyone to posthumously publish “A Hat Full of Cherries,” the late author’s final book.

Perazzi called his mother’s accusations “a baseless fantasy,” adding that “the will was signed in the United States, in front of witnesses, lawyers and the court”. When asked what his mother’s motive was for bringing up the charges, Perazzi said it was the inheritance, “nothing more, nothing less”.