Parliament will discuss the findings of the public inquiry report into the construction site death of Jean Paul Sofia “immediately”, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said on Monday. 

Earlier on Monday, the inquiry board announced the report will be presented to the prime minister on Wednesday morning, and a copy will be handed to the family later on the same day. 

Attard said the report would be published following a presentation from the inquiry board to the prime minister, then tabled in parliament, and discussed “immediately”.

He was replying to a parliamentary question by Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech, who asked if the inquiry report would be published and discussed in parliament. 

Attard also confirmed that works will commence to ensure that the final recommendations based on the findings of the inquiry will be implemented. 

The 20-year-old died when a factory building that was under construction in Corradino collapsed like a pack of cards during roofing works on December 3, 2022. 

Five workers were injured. Sofia died under the rubble and his body was only found several hours later.

He had arrived at the site shortly before the incident and was taking photos at the top of the structure to send to the architect when the collapse happened. Rescue workers were alerted to his presence when they noticed his car parked near the site and could not account for him.

Sofia’s mother, Isabelle Bonnici, immediately demanded a public inquiry. Her call was backed by the Nationalist Party and many sections of civil society, but prime minister Robert Abela pushed against that, saying a magisterial inquiry sufficed. 

In July last year, the opposition moved a motion in parliament calling for the inquiry. All government MPs voted against and instead called for a speedy conclusion of the magisterial inquiry. 

The prime minister performed a U-turn within days, announcing the holding of a public inquiry, while criticising the magistrate holding the magisterial inquiry for allegedly delaying her investigation.

The conclusions of the magisterial inquiry were published on July 26, even before the public inquiry's hearings started, with the magistrate reporting a litany of failures at the Corradino site.

Five people have been charged with involuntary homicide.