The CEO of the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Jesmond Muscat, has resigned, the government said on Tuesday.

No reason was given, but the resignation comes days after a fatal construction industry accident on Saturday and remarks by the prime minister on Monday urging tough action by the regulatory authorities on whoever was responsible.

Worker Bari Balla, an Albanian father of six, died when the roof of a house he was working on in St Ignatius Street collapsed. Another worker managed to escape.

Immediately after Saturday's accident in Sliema, the BCA, which regulates construction, said works at the site were illegal as it had not been informed about them. 

"The works did not have full Planning Authority clearance and no BCA application was filed, meaning the works were not permitted," it said in a statement.

Muscat quits the regulator less than two years into the job, having been appointed to the role in June 2022. His resignation means the BCA is poised to have its third CEO in as many years. 

Jesmond Muscat, left, seen with the minister then responsible for the construction sector, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, at his appointment in June 2022.

The government said on Tuesday that in acknowledging Muscat’s efforts in enhancing regulatory compliance, modernising the authority’s infrastructure, and implementing sector-wide reforms, the Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector, Jonathan Attard, had accepted Muscat's resignation. 

"The ministry looks forward to the appointment of a new Chief Executive to further strengthen the Authority and continue reforming this sector in compliance with the Government’s electoral programme and the recommendations of the public inquiry (into the death of Jean Paul Sofia in December 2022)", the ministry said. 

The BCA was set up in 2021 in response to the death of Miriam Pace, whose home collapsed amid construction works on a site next door. 

But when worker Jean Paul Sofia died in another construction site incident in the Corradino Industrial Estate in 2022, top BCA offficals admitted they had no oversight of the project. 

Ministers 'shirking their responsibilities'

In a reaction to the resignation, the shadow minister for planning, Stanley Zammit, said ministers were shirking their political responsibilities and blaming people they appointed. 

He said the Sliema collapse on Saturday was another case where the authorities had not done their duty of enforcing the laws.  

Ever since the report into the collapse that killed Jean Paul Sofia, Prime Minister Robert Abela had done nothing other than consult himself and come up with measures which cost money, waste time and further delay much-needed reforms of the sector. 

Zammit reiterated the PN's call for a monthly report of the implementation of the Sofia inquiry recommendations.