The architect responsible for the timber factory project that collapsed and killed Jean-Paul Sofia has been suspended from her government job after she was charged with manslaughter.  

Adriana Zammit, in her private capacity, was the architect of the Corradino site which collapsed last December, but she is also employed by Infrastructure Malta (IM). 

Sources close to IM said Zammit was suspended from her job on half pay after she was arraigned and accused of involuntary homicide on Sunday.  

The decision follows government policy for such situations, the sources said.   

Zammit is one of five who are accused of involuntarily causing the death of 20-year-old Sofia. 

The others are developers Kurt Buhagiar and Matthew Schembri and contractors Milomir Jovicevic and Dijana Jovicevic.

They also stand accused of causing grievous injuries to five workers who were also on the site when the building collapsed.  

A magisterial inquiry into the incident found a litany of shortcomings that led to the building's collapse. 

A technical expert forming part of the inquiry reported evidence of structural design flaws and bad workmanship, adding that the construction job was an amateur one. 

Various parts of the building at Corradino were not tied together with metal as is normally the case, noted court-appointed Alex Torpiano, a professor in architecture. 

Furthermore, the designs provided by the architect did not include instructions about the necessary steel reinforcement.

Workers said they never saw a woman on site, meaning they never came across the architect.

Zammit appeared to rely on photos sent to her via WhatsApp to keep tabs on progress of works, the report said.

Sofia was among those who took the pictures. 

In her inquiry report, Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia also said that Zammit appeared to have transferred a substantial amount of money and properties in the weeks after the incident.