Three Years On: Architect Involved In Miriam Pace’s Death Filed Over 100 Planning Applications Since Fatal Accident
Today marks the three-year anniversary since the death of Miriam Pace, the Maltese mother who tragically lost her life after her house collapsed due to construction work being carried out next door.
Three years on, one of the architects who were found guilty of causing her death due to negligence, Roderick Camilleri, never had his warrant suspended.
Even though Camilleri was handed a two-year suspended sentence last year in relation to her death, he is still operating as an architect within the local sector.
His suspended sentence was handed down after an appeal was lodged against the previous sentence, absolving the architect of the €10,000 fine and the 480 hours of community service, leaving him with just the suspended sentence.
Meanwhile, a look through Camilleri’s recent developments shows that he has not been short of work, having filed over 100 planning applications since the day of the accident.
On top of that, he has also been the architect for a number of applications brought forward by Malcolm Mallia, who is also a board member of the Malta Developers Association.
There were at least five planning applications that Camilleri filed together with Mallia, all after Miriam’s death.
Most of the applications which were filed after the incident were also approved by the Planning Authority board, with only a small number being refused.
Furthermore, Camilleri was also handed three direct orders by the government since her death, all within the area of Ta’ Qali Crafts Village. A direct order is a process that effectively bypasses the tender procedure, awarding a national project’s job to a company or person without a public call.
Lovin Malta spoke to Andre Pizzuto, President of Il-Kamra tal-Periti, who explained how the warrant was not revoked due to the conviction being for involuntary homicide.
“When the tragic demise of Miriam Pace occurred, the previous Periti Act (Cap 390) applied. Article 13 of that law, which has since been partially repealed stated that:
“13.(1) A conviction by any competent tribunal for any crime liable to imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, other than involuntary homicide or any other crime against the person excusable in terms of the Criminal Code shall be a cause of perpetual disability to obtain or retain the warrant.”
“(2) Such disability shall in the case of a warrant holder be declared by the Board by notice published in the Gazette and shall be communicated to the person disqualified unless he has been interdicted by the judgment itself.”
“(3) The Board may, at any time, by notice in the Gazette remove the disability declared by it.”
“Given that the conviction was indeed for involuntary homicide, the above article did not apply and thus the warrants were not revoked by the Warranting Board. The new Periti Act (Cap. 622) has since come into force, eliminating such exclusion altogether.”
“Nevertheless, the Council of the Kamra tal-Periti has been conducting its own investigation which was stalled due to delays in getting access to the magisterial inquiry.”
Do you think that an architect should have his license suspended in such cases?
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