The company carrying out works on a building that collapsed in Corradino on Saturday was not a member of the Malta Developers Association, the lobby group said on Tuesday.

The collapse took the life of 20-year-old JeanPaul Sofia and left five others injured. Sofia was found buried beneath the rubble following a 14-hour search.

Questions were immediately raised about the workmanship behind the building, with CCTV footage showing it buckling while concrete was apparently being poured onto the upper levels.

In its first public statement since the incident, the MDA said it had always been in favour of ensuring all those with responsibility at the place of work, including contractors, architects, and site offices, assumed those responsibilities. 

“We reiterate that warranted professionals are dutybound to oversee works being done and where they notice a deviation from the standard procedures, techniques and craftsmanship, they should stop the works immediately.

“MDA would like to point out that the company doing the works that day is not one of its members,” it said.

The Corradino building was meant to be developed into a timber factory. The project was fronted by Matthew Joseph Schembri, with Adriana Zammit as the architect. 

Schembri has not spoken to the media and authorities have not said who the contractor in charge of works on the day of the collapse was. 

The government has been promising to introduce a proper licensing system for building contractors and developers since 2019.

Despite many public statements, the licensing regime has yet to come into effect.

In its statement, the MDA said that it has been in talks with the government "over the past few months" to introduce such a certification system for contractors.