Jean Paul Sofia’s mother starts petition for public inquiry into son’s death

Kordin construction collapse victim Jean Paul Sofia’s mother, Isabelle Sofia Bonnici, has launched a petition to lobby for a public inquiry into her son’s death. The petition aims to influence Parliament members to vote in favour of such an inquiry.

The petition was launched following a heated parliamentary debate on Thursday which saw Prime Minister Robert Abela continue to challenge a public inquiry into the death, opting instead to urge for the ongoing magisterial inquiry to be wrapped up quickly.

The parliamentary vote on whether to open a public inquiry was postponed to Wednesday, 12 July, mere days before the parliamentary summer recess.

Sofia,20, was killed at what was to be a timber factory constructed illegally on government property by Maltese developers with a criminal past and connections to the Lands Authority.

Bonnici has repeatedly condemned Abela’s opposition to a public inquiry. In comments to the Times of Malta, Bonnici said Labour MPs should defy their party whip’s position on the issue and vote in favour of the public inquiry.

During Thursday’s parliamentary motion, Abela also restated the Labour government’s commitment to reforming the construction industry, a moot point considering the government has pledged reform since 2019, for an industry Kamra Tal-Periti has described as “overrun by anarchy”.

In a statement last March, Sofia’s parents said full justice meant a public inquiry into whether “state authorities or representatives failed in their obligation to safeguard his life”, an aspect the ongoing magisterial inquiry would not delve into.

An analysis by The Shift published last March showed how Abela’s arguments against a public inquiry mirror those of disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, who similarly resisted a public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia until he was forced into launching one following pressure by the Council of Europe. The resultant public enquiry found that the state was responsible for the assassination by creating a “culture of impunity”.

Anyone wishing to sign the petition may do so here.