Jean Paul Sofia’s family said that they have not yet been shown a draft of the terms of reference of the public inquiry which the Prime Minister announced on Monday, and have also expressed their faith in the Magistrate who is leading the magisterial inquiry into their son’s death.
Jean Paul Sofia died last December in a construction site collapse in Corradino. The family had long been calling for a public inquiry to be launched, however the Prime Minister had been denying such a request, until Monday.
On Monday a vigil held for Sofia saw thousands flock to Valletta, and just an hour before it was set to begin Prime Minister Robert Abela made a U-turn and announced the launch of a public inquiry. Abela had previously used the ongoing magisterial inquiry as the justification for refusing to appoint a public inquiry into Sofia’s death, and had even been putting pressure for the magisterial inquiry to speed up. Abela has twice – once in April, and once last week – written to Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti imploring him to see that the magisterial inquiry is closed as soon as possible. During the public inquiry announcement, Abela had also blasted the magisterial inquiry delays, highlighting that the magistrate had that very day notified of an extension. “Almost 8 months have passed and there is no end in sight. This is why the government is not going to remain a hostage for the courts,” Abela said.
In their statement on Tuesday, the family said that the announcement from Prime Minister Robert Abela of his acceptance for the appointment of a Public Inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia “is a positive step towards full justice. This has come after months of seeing our pleas turned down, and a parliamentary motion being defeated.”
“As a family we want to make it clear that we trust the independence and impartiality of the courts and of the members of the judiciary and we have full faith in Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia and the appointed experts in the case. We wish to see an environment in which the courts are allowed to carry out their work serenely without undue pressure.”
“We, of course, want to know who is criminally responsible for Jean Paul’s death, and that these persons are held accountable for their crimes. But while waiting for this process to take its course, we also want to see a process which can identify systematic and administrative failures, and propose changes thereto so that other deaths like Jean Paul’s are prevented. This can only be done through a public inquiry which can start without further delays.”
The family said that for a public inquiry to be effective it must be fully independent and impartial, and have the trust of all parties involved as well as that of the public. “In yesterday’s press conference Prime Minister Robert Abela indicated he was nominating three persons to the board of inquiry. While we are not aware of objective causes to doubt the integrity of the persons nominated to be on the board of the public inquiry, the government needs to make sure that their position in the inquiry is compatible with the office or appointments they currently hold.”
“A draft of the terms of reference of the public inquiry has not yet been given to us, and so we cannot comment on them as yet. However, while we look forward to terms of reference which give the board members a framework to inquire to the fullest extent into all relevant processes that led to the tragic death of Jean Paul, we want those terms to empower the board to make the necessary recommendations to prevent more deaths and injuries on construction sites. We are also looking forward to terms of reference which establish a framework that provides for accountability should there be no political will to implement the recommendations made by the board of inquiry.”
“We heartily thank everyone who has shown us support, and who are supporting our request for a public inquiry. Our plea is one born out of the love we have for Jean Paul, and we are hopeful that a public inquiry and the implementation of its recommendations can help prevent other families from experiencing the sorrow of losing a son in such tragic circumstances.”