Mother of Jean Paul Sofia condemns Lands Authority’s reinstatement of accused official

The mother of Jean Paul Sofia, the 20-year-old who died in a construction site collapse in 2022, has lashed out at a decision by the Lands Authority to reinstate one of the men accused of her son’s death.

Isabelle Bonnici, writing in a Facebook post late on Sunday, said she was informed by Lands Minister Owen Bonnici that Kurt Buhagiar had returned to work at the Lands Authority “for several weeks”.

Buhagiar is one of five individuals facing charges over the collapse of a timber factory under construction in the Corradino Industrial Estate. The building was developed by Buhagiar and co-accused Matthew Schembri on government-leased land. Jean Paul Sofia was killed in the collapse, which also seriously injured three others.

According to Bonnici, the minister told her that the decision to reinstate Buhagiar was taken by the Lands Authority during former Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi’s tenure. The Shift reported that Buhagiar's return to the authority was pushed through by its CEO Robert Vella, under whom Buhagiar had served as a close aide.

“Obviously, I do not agree, because as far as I know, to apply for a job one must have a clean criminal record, and this person already had another case, was found guilty, and was imprisoned according to media reports,” Bonnici said.

On Monday, Zrinzo Azzopardi posted on Facebook saying that the decision was an administrative one. "On my part, as minister I never consented to or approved the decision."

Buhagiar had been appointed as Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella’s driver in 2021, later rising to the role of senior administration officer within Vella’s office.

The fatal collapse at Corradino took place on government-leased land managed by the industrial development agency INDIS Malta. The building was being developed by Allplus Limited, a company set up by Buhagiar and Schembri just months before they were granted a land lease by INDIS.

CCTV footage captured the moment the structure crumbled, imploding inwards without warning. Sofia was found dead after a 14-hour search under the rubble.

Despite an initial refusal by government MPs to back an Opposition motion calling for a public inquiry into Sofia’s death, Prime Minister Robert Abela eventually relented, announcing the inquiry and apologising to the family for not showing earlier solidarity.

Bonnici on Sunday reminded the public that her son was killed “on government land that had been given to this accused and another individual who also has an ongoing criminal case”.

She added that the government had not only failed her son in life but continues to disrespect his memory by returning those accused of his death to positions of trust.

Last Saturday, the Nationalist Party condemned the government for reinstating Kurt Buhagiar to the role, calling it a betrayal of justice and proof that the Labour administration has ignored the Sofia inquiry's findings.

It said the move insults Sofia's family and highlights the government's failure to implement key reforms, despite public pressure and the PN's own efforts to secure the inquiry.