Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said Wednesday that there is now clear confirmation that the State, namely Prime Minister Robert Abela’s government, is responsible for the incident which led to the death of Jean Paul Sofia.
The 484-page report which followed the death of 20-year-old Sofia after a building collapsed in Kordin in 2022 was presented to the Prime Minister this morning.
In reaction, Grech said that not only did the inquiry find the State responsible for Sofia’s death, it also confirmed why Abela did not want to launch a public inquiry in the first place, even after Sofia’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici’s pleas.
Grech condemned Abela for doing everything, including voting against the inquiry, and forcing his parliamentary group to do the same.
He quoted page 405 of the report, where the inquiry said that the picture shows a classic ‘comedy of errors.’ Grech continued that the inquiry said that Jean Paul Sofia died at a site which was not controlled by any regulatory authority.
The inquiry also said that gross mistakes were made, ones which someone has the duty to shoulder responsibility for them, Grech said.
“This must be the State, who failed to keep its eyes open to the confusion in the Executive sector,” Grech said, quoting the inquiry.
“No wonder Robert Abela continued to be stubborn and tried humiliating Isabelle Bonnici by repetitively telling her that there are people who want to use her,” Grech said.
He continued that Abela did everything to hide the truth and avoid condemnation.
Grech said that the PN is still analysing the hundreds of pages in the inquiry, which it will continue discussing in the coming days. He said, however, that the message is clear: the inquiry board found the State guilty of Sofia’s death.
Quoting other pages of the report, Grech said that the inquiry board said that the building’s collapse had to do with the lack of attention and enforcement by authorities.
He said that the board is certain that there was no enforcement, and there was a “complete lack” of good governance.
“Condemnation after the other for the State, government, and the responsible authorities,” Grech said, adding that incompetent people cannot be placed in positions of responsibilities, and those who put them there continue to be defended.
Grech said that the culture of impunity must stop. The board also condemned what Abela had said when he stated that there was no need for a public inquiry, as it would disrupt the Magistrate’s work.
He also said that the inquiry concluded that the gathering of proof in the public inquiry did not disrupt the ongoing parallel criminal cases, saying that the right of silence of the accused remained untouched.
Grech mentioned Sofia’s mother and father, describing them as the public’s heroes, who remained strong after losing their son, and took it upon themselves that their son’s death would not be for nothing.
“The road forward will be that all that was indicated in the conclusions should be implemented immediately. All the inquiry’s recommendations must be implemented, and should not remain on the shelf like other inquiries,” Grech said, naming the inquiry into the death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
“Each time government tries to run away from its responsibilities, is stubborn when we present laws, and goes against the recommendations, we will continue pressuring and insisting,” Grech said.
He said that it is not enough for all those who directly contributed to what happened to Sofia to bear responsibility.
“We will continue discussing and insisting, and responsibility must be shouldered by government, who should not continue with its attitude of “everything goes,”” Grech said.
He said that by covering the shortcomings, not only will the situation remain stagnant, but the risk of a worker injuring themselves, or even die, will remain.
“We will continue working as an Opposition so that the recommendations are implemented, so that responsibility is shouldered, as the Maltese state was found responsible for the death of Jean Paul Sofia,” Grech concluded.