Parliament rejects public inquiry into Jean Paul Sofia death

Parliament has rejected an Opposition motion calling for a Public Inquiry into the death of construction site victim Jean Paul Sofia.

The motion was first tabled in the House by the Opposition last Thursday, but following a heated debate the government put forward an amendment emphasising parliament’s commitment to address the issues surrounding the incident and implementing reforms.

The government’s amendment also urges the inquiring magistrate to conclude her investigation as quickly as possible and stresses the importance of holding those responsible for the incident accountable for their actions.

The government’s amendment received parliamentary approval given its seat majority, with the Opposition voting against.

The amended motion was also approved.

In a last-minute development on Wednesday, just before the scheduled vote, both the government and opposition reached an agreement to allow and vote on the opposition's proposed amendments.

Opposition leader Bernard Grech presented the amendments, along with a petition signed by nearly 20,000 individuals requesting a public inquiry, which he stated was in response to the Sofia family's request.

The Members of Parliament proceeded with the voting process, starting with the government's amendments to the motion, followed by the opposition's amendments to the government's changes, and ultimately the amended motion.

 The government's amendments received approval, as 40 government MPs voted in favor, while 32 opposition MPs voted against. Similarly, the opposition's amendments were rejected by the same margin.

Consequently, the final motion, modified by the government to exclude the call for a public inquiry, received approval with 40 votes in favor and 32 against.

Opposition MPs Chris Said, Ivan J Bartolo and Graham Bencini were not present but the PN whip Robert Cutajar said they had declared their backing to the opposition's motion.

Government MPs Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and Romilda Baldacchino Zarb were absent for the vote.

Independent MP Rosianne Cutajar left parliament before the vote was taken. 

Speaking to MaltaToday, Cutajar said she did not feel comfortable staying in parliament, knowing government’s amendment would have passed without her vote or not.

“I could not stomach staying there. I can’t imagine what she is passing through,” she said.

Sofia died when a building under construction collapsed at the Corradino Industrial Estate. Several other workers were injured in the incident.

For months Sofia's mother, Isabelle Bonnici, and friends have been supported by the PN and NGOs in demanding a public inquiry into the incident. She insists a magisterial inquiry would not be looking into all aspects that could have led to the tragedy such as the allocation of public land without looking into the individuals' police conduct.

However, the government has been reluctant to endorse this request, with Prime Minister Robert Abela insisting he has total faith in the ongoing magisterial inquiry.

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