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Architect Philip Azzopardi, sued by the relatives of 84-year-old Rita Vella, the woman who died after her house in Cathedral Street, Sliema collapsed following works in an adjacent plot under the supervision of Azzopardi, has been appointed a member in the Malta Environment and Planning Authority’s development control commission.
The DCC takes decisions on applications falling mainly in white areas, villa development, major projects and applications falling outside the development zone.
Philip Azzopardi and contractors Raymond Micallef and Raymond Calleja were sued by the relatives of Vella after their mother Rita was buried under the rubble of her own home on April 12, 2000, dying some hours later. The house and most of its contents had been totally destroyed.
The Vellas had declared that Azzopardi and the contractors were liable towards them in damages because the collapse of the house and the death of Rita Vella had occurred as a result of negligence on their part.
They also added that the accident had occurred because no suitable safety measures had been adopted, allowing the situation to deteriorate seriously.
The Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment have told MaltaToday there is “absolutely no connection” between the case and Azzopardi’s ability to serve on the DCC board. The decisions taken by members on the DCC board are based on the planning issues at hand and nothing else.
Ministry spokesperson Ray Bezzina said DCC board members are chosen to sit on the basis of their integrity. Azzopardi is currently paid the honoraria of Lm3,000 per annum.
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