Daphne Foundation: No justification for government’s resistance to Sofia public inquiry

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has said there is no reason for government to resist a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia.

“Jean Paul Sofia was killed when a building collapsed. His mother has asked for a public inquiry. She wants to save other families suffering the same fate as her only son,” the foundation said.

Jean Paul Sofia, 20, was killed last December after a three-storey building at the Corradino industrial estate collapsed as workers were pumping concrete on the ceiling of the third floor.

Jean Paul’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici has insisted a public inquiry be launched into her son’s death, but her requests have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Under a recent Facebook video uploaded by Prime Minister Robert Abela, Bonnici commented that the “facts also show that you are denying the people of Malta the right for a proper reform in the construction sector and full justice for my son JeanPaul Sofia”.

“You are denying a parent from avoiding the grief we are passing through. You are refusing to hold a public inquiry, just as you refused to hold one after Miriam Pace’s tragic death. Because you refused, proper laws weren’t implemented and this resulted in more deaths, including of my only son,” she said.

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation said there is no justification for government to resist a public inquiry. “The argument that it will interfere with criminal investigations and a magisterial inquiry has already been debunked.”

“Refusing to initiate a public inquiry with the family's participation aggravates the injustice Jean Paul and his family have already suffered, but this is not just about one family's rights,” it said.

The foundation said the Maltese State has a positive obligation to protect life. “A public inquiry is the only way the State can learn how to prevent future deaths. Refusing to lessons about systemic failures doesn't just deny Jean Paul and his family their rights. It leaves other lives in danger.”

The PN has also reiterated its call for a public inquiry into the death of JeanPaul Sofia, saying it would be tabling a parliamentary motion for a public inquiry next Monday.

“We will continue putting pressure on the government to do what is just and right,” Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said on Thursday when speaking in front of the collapsed building.