The collapse of a building – and of our institutions

Thirty-two residents were evacuated just hours before a Paceville multi-storey apartment came crashing down.  Joseph Portelli’s company, Excel Trading Ltd, had been working on the adjacent site. A “tragedy of gigantic proportions” was narrowly averted.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA) issued a joint statement, not to apologise for allowing another near-fatal disaster, but to warn the country against exploiting the Paceville collapse “for political gain”.

This is where Labour’s politicisation of the country’s institutions has led. Institutions meant to protect the safety of the public are instead shamelessly protecting the interests of the ruling party.

The OHSA shouldn’t ever be engaged in defending the government. The BCA isn’t there to shield Abela’s government from public anger and legitimate criticism. Never ever should the BCA and the OHSA engage in political discourse of any kind – but definitely not after such a catastrophic failure of their responsibilities.

Their statement didn’t bother to explain why 32 students were allowed back into the dangerous building to collect their belongings just hours before the whole building came crashing down, and well after the alarm was raised.

The BCA didn’t bother to explain why a stop-work notice was only issued 24 hours before.  Architect Chris Mintoff for Santumas Shareholdings PLC, which owned two properties in that multi-storey building, warned authorities on 9 June that the building was “a danger to its users, third parties and the public”. He was the one who warned, “Masonry structures fall slowly and then suddenly… this might be the last warning the building may give prior to a more serious scenario”.

BCA and OHSA should explain why it had to be an architect from a third party to intervene. They owe the nation an explanation as to why they hadn’t even noticed the imminent risk to people’s lives. They should explain why Joseph Portelli was allowed to issue statements claiming that no works had been carried out by his company on the site next door since 7 May, when there was clear video evidence that work was still ongoing on 27 May and 2 June.

Perhaps the BCA and OHSA should tell us when they last inspected Portelli’s construction site. They should also reveal how and when they responded to concerns raised by the public over the construction. Why did it take two police reports and another with the BCA by Perit Chris Mintoff before the last-minute action was taken?

The architect noted issues with the facade, windows, the main door, the front door, the ceilings, the hallways, the common stairwell. In his report to the police, he recommended that third parties in the vicinity should be informed, adjacent works halted, and the property reinforced with masonry pillars and steel beams. Nothing was done.

Two days later, he filed another frantic report with the police. The result was exactly what the architect had predicted. At 10.30pm on Wednesday, 11 June, the whole edifice came crumbling down.  The last people in the building had been evacuated just nine hours earlier.

This is nothing short of a catastrophic failure of those authorities now focusing on warning against “political exploitation”. The Malta Chamber of Commerce highlighted their unfitness for purpose, commenting on “weak enforcement” and saying “we do not have the proper framework to do things safely”.

While wasting their time and energy on political discourse, the BCA and OHSA had the cheek to say that “in these sensitive moments it is essential to focus on the safety and wellbeing of all rather than allowing anyone to attempt to exploit such situations for political gain”.

The only reason OHSA is talking about “political gain” is because its leadership is politically appointed and utterly unfit and unqualified for the role.

Josianne Cutajar was made CEO of the OHSA just days after stepping down from St Vincent de Paul CEO.  She’s a medical doctor with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever in the field of occupational medicine or occupational health.  Her only qualifications are her first degree in medicine and a master’s degree in general practice. There is an occupational health specialist register, but Cutajar is not on it.

Serious allegations have been made about Josianne during her 10-year stint as CEO at St Vincent de Paul Hospital. Denis Tanti, a former assistant director for industrial and employment relations, accused her of discrimination and conflict of interest.  He claimed to be in possession of e-mails from Cutajar ordering him to turn a blind eye to various abuses, including unauthorised absence from work, negligence in the care of elderly patients and verbal abuse against superiors.

Tanti claimed that Cutajar either took no disciplinary action or punished only PN sympathisers. He also accused her of a blatant conflict of interest since she maintained her private practice while also being CEO at St Vincent de Paul. She’s still working privately while acting as the OHSA CEO through a special contract.

Tanti claimed that he was transferred to another section and left idle for six months in retaliation for raising concerns. He reported this to the Ombudsman, but the case was stalled because of his lack of cooperation.

But Cutajar had much more serious baggage.  She was involved in a series of scandals, including contracts, tenders and discrepancies in procurement procedures when she was St Vincent de Paul’s CEO.  On her watch, St Vincent de Paul entered into an illegal €274 million contract with James Caterers to build a 500-bed extension, which was condemned by the National Audit Office.

Cutajar was directly involved in those negotiations as well as in other shady multi-million-euro direct contracts for cleaning and care services at St Vincent de Paul.

Nobody with that history should ever have been considered for the post of OHSA CEO. She wasn’t appointed because of her skills and expertise. She was made CEO specifically for the very purpose she now serves – to defend the Labour government against legitimate criticism for its failure to protect lives.