‘If We Stay Quiet, We’ll All Have Jean Paul’s Blood On Our Hands’: Entrepreneur Sean Ellul
Metaverse Architects co-founder and entrepreneur Sean Ellul has spoken out on the case of Jean Paul Sofia, stressing that if we remain quiet, we’ll all have his blood on our hands.
His statement followed after the Labour Party triggered nationwide backlash, even from their own supporters, after unanimously voting against the motion to open a public inquiry into Sofia’s death.
Ellul broke the silence yesterday, while sharing findings from an AI he recently built a few days ago which is currently researching Sofia’s case – and evaluating whether a public inquiry should be opened.
“I was shocked by its findings, and by its insistence that Jean Paul’s family is correct in being outraged that a public inquiry isn’t taking place,” Ellul wrote on social media.
“I usually try to remain quiet about things related to problems in our country. However, today is different. Today, I am disgusted by the treatment of Jean Paul Sofia’s family, and I cannot help but speak.”
He started off by questioning why, as a citizen, he usually opts to stay quiet.
“We live in a country where almost every question related to the government, policy, or decisions taken by our representatives, quickly derails into a partisan debate; where the two sides of our country end up arguing and throwing mud at each other, in an attempt to show how worse off the other side is. This is a societal problem, that we’re all guilty of in one shape or form.”
“The truth is that, as a Maltese citizen, I’m simply ‘afraid’ to talk about political matters, because we all know that there are social repercussions to sharing your opinions, and I know that I am not alone who feels this way.”
He continued to say however, that he truly believes that this is not a political issue, but “a matter of ethics and responsible leadership”.
“I do believe that if I sit still, I will wake up one day knowing that I have the blood of Jean Paul stained on my hands too.”
“Why do you think Jean Paul’s parents are so heartbroken, and yet passionately and resolutely shouting for a public inquiry? Why do you think most of us feel outraged by this situation, and feel it is somewhat of a turning point in Maltese history?”
He appealed to people to take a moment to understand the intricate details surrounding the tragedy – and why they are alarming.
“Infrastructure Malta Architect and employee, Adriana Zammit, oversaw the fatal construction project in Kordin, a proposed project on land leased by the government to Allplus Ltd, a company owned by Matthew Schembri and Kurt Buhagiar.”
“Schembri, the developer linked to the tragic site (who has a criminal record) shares his ownership in Allplus Ltd with Buhagiar, an officer in the LANDS department with a dark past, tainted by charges of human trafficking and a past spent in the prison. Yet, despite his history, he not only holds a position in the Lands Authority but also has the public favor of the CEO of the LANDS Authority, Robert Vella.”
“Why were these individuals given public land to build on? On what grounds? What systemic checks and balances were in place to make sure this project was built prudently, on our land? How did our authorities ensure that tragedies like these don’t keep on happening, again and again?” he questioned.
“These are not just simple connections, these are alarm bells. Bells that are ringing in the halls of our parliament, ringing stories of fatal negligence and oversight.”
He continued by saying that this is not just about Jean Paul, but about the entire construction industry as a whole.
“A public inquiry runs the risk of opening a complete ‘Pandora’s Box’, regarding the lack of regulation and enforcement in Malta’s development industry. An industry we already know has intimate ties to our political class, and has been running amock for years, under multiple political leaders.”
He highlighted that there are many clear systemic failures our country has been facing in relation to this industry – such as workers’ rights, human trafficking, undocumented work, and breaches of environmental regulations – which could all come to light if a public inquiry is opened.
“I want to live in Malta where public inquiry is the norm; not because I really care about any political party or the basic colours that they use to differentiate themselves from each other, but rather, because I want the peace of mind of knowing that we have systems in place that can help us improve our country; systems which we can use to grow collectively from the mistakes of greed, shortsightedness, and group-think.”
“As a young citizen, I want to feel that the systems we have built to protect ourselves and hold ourselves accountable are there for the citizens and protected by the citizens, and not casually blocked by our representatives, to protect those few chosen people, whose minds are squarely focused on their power and portfolios.”
“If we stay quiet and support this decision, we will wake up sometime in the future to realise that all of us have the blood of Jean Paul, and others, on our hands, and we will no longer have the luxury of simply blaming our politicians.”
“This is why I decided to speak; this is why I can’t really remain silent today.”
What do you make of this appeal for justice?
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