Zrinzo Azzopardi says decision to reinstate Sofia collapse developer was not his

Updated 11.59am

Former Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi has distanced himself from the decision to reinstate one of the people accused of the involuntary homicide of construction collapse victim Jean Paul Sofia to his Lands Authority job. 

Writing on Facebook, Zrinzo Azzopardi said the decision to reinstate Kurt Buhagiar at the Lands Authority “was an administrative one at the discretion of the authority's administration and on my part as minister I never gave consent or approved this decision”. 

The Lands Authority was under Zrinzo Azzopardi’s responsibility from January 2024 until a minor cabinet reshuffle in May, when the Lands portfolio was passed to Owen Bonnici.

Zrinzo Azzopardi was responding to news of Buhagiar’s return to the authority, after Sofia’s mother Isabelle Bonnici said Sunday his reinstatement as reported by The Shift had been confirmed to her by Lands Minister Owen Bonnici. 

Buhagiar is among five accused of the involuntary homicide of Jean Paul Sofia, 20, who died in a construction site collapse at the Corradino Industrial Estate in December 2022.

Isabelle Bonnici wrote on Facebook that Buhagiar had been back to work “for several weeks”, according to the minister, who told her the decision to return him to work had been the decision of the Lands Authority and made during former Lands Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi’s tenure.

The Shift said Buhagiar’s reinstatement had been at the insistence of Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella. Buhagiar was regarded as Vella's right-hand man at the time of the collapse.

Buhagiar was regarded as Lands Authority CEO Robert Vella's right-hand man. File photo.

“Obviously I do not agree because as far as I know in order to apply one must have a clean [police] conduct and this one already had another case, was found guilty and was sent to prison according to media reports”, she posted to the Għal Jean Paul ("For Jean Paul") page.

According to Italian prosecutors, Buhagiar and two other Maltese people were involved in smuggling migrants between Libya and Sicily.

Buhagiar was arrested in Sicily in 2009 after allegedly being caught smuggling migrants in what Italian media reports describe as a high-speed powerboat chase with Italy’s Guardia di Finanza.

“Let's not forget also that my son was ‘killed’ on government land that was given to this accused and another accused who also has an ongoing criminal case,” wrote Bonnici.

Buhagiar was initially hired as Vella's driver in 2021, with government records showing he was later promoted to a senior administration officer within the CEO’s office.

The Corradino building that collapsed was meant to be a timber factory, developed by Buhagiar and Matthew Schembri as a joint venture through their company Allplus Limited, set up just months before they obtained the land lease.

The tragedy, which followed a long string of construction-related deaths and incidents – drew particular attention due to it occurring on land leased to the developers by the government’s land management company INDIS.

Sofia’s death provoked public outcry and renewed calls for reform of the construction sector.

In July 2023, an Opposition motion calling for an independent public inquiry into the young man’s death was defeated after all Labour MPs present in Parliament – Romilda Zarb, Clyde Caruana and Clint Camilleri were absent – voted against the motion.

Prime Minister Robert Abela later U-turned, announcing an inquiry into Sofia’s death and apologising for not showing solidarity with the youth's relatives, shortly before crowds gathered for a vigil called by the construction victim's mother.

Sofia was found dead, buried under rubble after a 14-hour search. Five others were rescued from the site and taken to hospital. Three of them were critically injured.

CCTV footage of the collapse appeared to show the building imploding under its own weight.