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‘Public Inquiry Is Not Enough’: Kamra Tal-Periti Calls For More Concrete Action As Response To JeanPaul Sofia’s Death

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As calls grow for a public inquiry into the death of JeanPaul Sofia, the president of the Kamra tal-Periti has warned that this cannot be viewed as a silver bullet to the problems within the construction industry.

“I don’t see a problem with a public inquiry so long as it doesn’t interfere with the judicial process and the collection of evidence,” Andre Pizzuto told Lovin Malta when contacted for his opinion.

“In principle, we would welcome a public inquiry that leads to greater transparency and improving the status quo, but the issue isn’t an inquiry but effecting change.”

“An inquiry could bring certain issues to the public’s attention, but if we want results, we need goodwill and a drive to move things forward.”

Questioning whether a public inquiry could bring to light problems that the authorities and people within the industry aren’t already well aware of, Pizzuto said the priority should be implementing concrete action.

JeanPaul Sofia

JeanPaul Sofia

“There are issues of skill, standards and unnecessarily bureaucratic processes that don’t provide peace of mind,” he warned.

“Some laws are outdated and go back as far as the 19th century. We have a plethora of authorities and regulators that are more interested in justifying their own existence than in raising the bar, certain people are incompetent, and there’s a lack of urgency and a sense of complacency among the political class.”

Indeed, Pizzuto proposed that Parliament set up a committee to discuss the construction industry and summon people to testify with a view of updating the law.

Sofia died on 3rd December when a construction site in Kordin collapsed, and it took CPD officials 15 hours to remove his body from the rubble.

Police investigations are ongoing but no charges have been issued yet, and Sofia’s mother Isabelle Bonnici has called for a public inquiry to identify shortcomings that could have prevented her son’s death.

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech announced today that he will file a parliamentary motion to request a public inquiry, a proposal Prime Minister Robert Abela has already rejected out of concern that it could clash with police investigations.

Should a public inquiry be held into JeanPaul Sofia’s death?

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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