Malta’s Planning Minister has called on the “immediate” closure of an ongoing magisterial inquiry in order to hold those responsible for the death of 20-year-old JeanPaul Sofia in a building collapse in Kordin accountable.

His comments come after Parliament yesterday debated whether a separate inquiry – one that is public and not potentially kept behind closed doors as a magisterial inquiry may be – should be opened into the death.

“Today, we want to ensure that through the judicial means provided by law, we reach the conclusions of what happened on that day. Whoever is responsible for the death of JeanPaul Sofia must answer for their actions as soon as possible,” Zrinzo Azzopardi said.

While “acknowledging” that the background of the session is one of grief, which is also felt by other families who have experienced similar situations, Zrinzo Azzopardi said this tragedy meant the government needed to make more significant changes in the construction sector.

At the same time, he said that any discussion that fully pinned the blame on the government wouldn’t be responsible.

The minister ended by saying that work was being carried out in collaboration with the University of Malta to achieve better coordination and enhancement of laws related to construction, pointing towards the Quintano report, which proposes a plan of action to reduce incidents on construction sites.

In addition, he referred to several initiatives undertaken by the government to improve the current situation, including the revision of building permits and the consultation process to renew the Health and Safety Authority at the Workplace.

As MPs debated opening a public inquiry yesterday, Isabelle Sofia told Lovin Malta that she hoped Malta’s politicians would seek the whole truth over who was responsible for her son’s death.

“We hope that a fruitful discussion will take place in favour of a public inquiry to bring out the whole truth and implement real reforms in the sector so that no one ever goes through what our family is going through.”