The family of construction site victim Jean Paul Sofia said on Tuesday that it had not yet been given a draft of the terms of reference of a public inquiry announced by the prime minister on Monday.

"We are also looking forward to terms of reference which establish a framework that provides for accountability should there be no political will to implement the recommendations made by the board of inquiry," the family said. 

Jean-Paul Sofia died when a building under construction in Corradino collapsed in December. Prime Minister Robert Abela gave in to demands for a public inquiry on Monday afternoon, hours before a vigil in Castille Square, claiming he was doing so because of delays in the magisterial inquiry. 

In a statement, the family described the prime minister's acceptance of their plea for the appointment of a public inquiry into the death of their son as "a positive step towards full justice" but observed that the appointment came "after months of seeing our pleas turned down, and a parliamentary motion being defeated".

Confidence in Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia

The family said it trusted the independence and impartiality of the courts and of the members of the judiciary and has full faith in Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia and the appointed experts in the case.

"We wish to see an environment in which the courts are allowed to carry out their work serenely without undue pressure," the family said.

"We, of course, want to know who is criminally responsible for Jean Paul’s death, and that these persons are held accountable for their crimes.

"But while waiting for this process to take its course, we also want to see a process which can identify systematic and administrative failures, and propose changes thereto so that other deaths like Jean Paul’s are prevented. This can only be done through a public inquiry which can start without further delays. For a public inquiry to be effective it must be fully independent and impartial, and have the trust of all parties involved as well as that of the public."

The family noted that in his press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Robert Abela indicated he was nominating three persons to the board of inquiry.

"While we are not aware of objective causes to doubt the integrity of the persons nominated to be on the board of the public inquiry, the government needs to make sure that their position in the inquiry is compatible with the office or appointments they currently hold," the family said.

Terms of reference not seen yet

It said the draft of the terms of reference of the public inquiry had not yet been given to it, and therefore it could not comment on them yet.

"However, while we look forward to terms of reference which give the board members a framework to inquire to the fullest extent into all relevant processes that led to the tragic death of Jean Paul, we want those terms to empower the board to make the necessary recommendations to prevent more deaths and injuries on construction sites.

"We are also looking forward to terms of reference which establish a framework that provides for accountability should there be no political will to implement the recommendations made by the board of inquiry."

The family thanked all those who had shown it support.

"Our plea is one born out of the love we have for Jean Paul, and we are hopeful that a public inquiry and the implementation of its recommendations can help prevent other families from experiencing the sorrow of losing a son in such tragic circumstances," the family said.