Chamber suspends warrants of two architects over Miriam Pace case

The Chamber of Architects has suspended the professional warrants of two architects involved in the 2020 building collapse that killed Miriam Pace, five years after the incident.

Architect Roderick Camilleri, who oversaw the construction site adjacent to Pace’s home, has been suspended for two years and four months. The Chamber’s council found that Camilleri failed to uphold professional standards, citing “amateurish and hastily drawn-up” risk assessments and mitigation measures.

Meanwhile, Anthony Mangion, the site technical officer (STO), was handed a 14-month suspension for failing to fulfil his primary duty in overseeing the project.

Both Mangion and Camilleri will appeal the chamber's decision. The suspension will come into force once confirmed by the Court of Appeal.

The decision comes after both architects were previously found guilty in criminal proceedings of involuntary damage to third-party property. While they were spared jail, they were fined and sentenced to community service.

The Chamber only launched its disciplinary proceedings after the criminal case and subsequent appeal were concluded, obtaining a copy of the magisterial inquiry in September 2022.

READ ALSO | Miriam Pace magisterial inquiry: Magistrate highlights clear negligence by project’s architects and developer

The Chamber’s deliberations focused on whether Camilleri had breached provisions of the Periti Act, including gross negligence, professional misconduct, and conduct discreditable to the profession.

Investigations revealed that Camilleri had entered into a 10% shareholder agreement with the developer of the project, rather than establishing a formal service agreement in writing.

This was found to be in breach of professional ethics, which state that architects should be remunerated solely by professional fees or salaries. However, the council ruled that this bartering arrangement did not amount to a conflict of interest.

More critically, Camilleri was found to have submitted “deficient demolition and excavation method statements”. The Chamber described his risk assessments as “amateurish and hastily drawn up,” warning that such a lax attitude towards safety can permeate an entire project.

Nonetheless, there was no direct evidence linking these faults to the fatal collapse.

Despite identifying these shortcomings, the council stopped short of ruling Camilleri guilty of gross negligence. While he had appointed an unqualified individual to assess neighbouring properties, he was not found guilty of coercing residents into accepting excavation works.

READ ALSO: Judge ups architects' punishment over Miriam Pace's death

The Chamber also found that Anthony Mangion had adopted a passive stance in his role as site technical officer, failing to actively oversee compliance with the method statement.

His testimony revealed that he had little to no communication with the contractor and was often unaware of key developments at the site.

It was also found that Mangion was appointed primarily to satisfy bureaucratic requirements rather than to provide active oversight. However, the council placed the blame for this on the developer and architect in charge, ruling that Mangion was not responsible for the lack of communication from the project’s key players.

Additionally, the Chamber did not find him guilty of failing to participate in drafting the method statement, since it was already in place before his appointment.

The Chamber’s decision comes five years after Miriam Pace, a 54-year-old mother of two, was killed when her home collapsed into an excavation site on March 2, 2020.

In the summer of 2021, architects Roderick Camilleri and Anthony Mangion were found guilty of causing the death of Miriam Pace, who died in the rubble of her home, which collapsed following works on a construction site next door.

Camilleri had additionally been convicted of making false declarations to the public authorities. 

The court of Magistrates had sentenced Camilleri to 480 hours of community service together with a €10,000 fine, and Mangion to 400 hours of community service and an €8,000 fine. Following an appeal by the Attorney General, a court increased the pair’s sentences.