A public inquiry report into the construction site death of Jean Paul Sofia is to be presented to the prime minister on Wednesday morning, the inquiry board said on Monday.

A copy will be handed to the family later on the same day.

Sofia, 20, died when a factory building which 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.

The incident raised public concerns about construction site safety and 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. 

As Bonnici's campaign for an inquiry intensified, some 16,000 people signed a petition calling for it to be held.

Matters came to a head on July 12 last year when the Opposition moved a motion in parliament calling for the inquiry. All the government MPs voted against and instead called for a speedy conclusion of the magisterial inquiry. There was a commotion in the Strangers' Gallery and outside parliament, with individuals, including Sofia's parents, hurling insults at MPs. The Speaker suspended the sitting as police were seen moving in to move people away.

Anger over the outcome of the vote dominated social media on the following day, with many, including personalities associated with the Labour Party, criticising the government’s decision.

The prime minister performed a U-turn within days, announcing the holding of the inquiry while attacking the magistrate holding the magisterial inquiry for allegedly delaying her probe. He also apologised for not showing solidarity with the youth's relatives.

Abela's decision came just minutes before the start of a vigil for Sofia, held in Valletta on July 17 and attended by a large crowd. 

As preparations for the public inquiry got under way, the magistrate's inquiry led to five people being charged on July 23 with the involuntary homicide of Jean Paul Sofia - the project’s two developers, its architect and the two directors of the contracting firm carrying out works at the time.

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.

A picture taken by Jean Paul Sofia moments before the Corradino building collapsed.

The building had structural design flaws and bad workmanship, a court expert reported to the magistrate. Various parts of the building were not tied together with metal as is normally the case, and the designs provided by the architect did not include instructions about the necessary steel reinforcement.  

A court-appointed expert pointed to witness testimony that painted "a picture of construction sector amateurism that does not reflect how serious and dangerous site work is."   

There was no licensed builder onsite to supervise works, and the workers involved had no formal construction training. Some were listed with Jobsplus as 'carpenters'. 

Workers said they never saw the architect on site and she appeared to rely on photos sent to her via WhatsApp to keep tabs on the progress of works.

The public inquiry itself heard, among other things, that the developers had proposed an investment of €260,000 for the project which an expert estimated would have cost over €1.1 million.

Legislative failings were also highlighted. A "significant legislative void" meant that the Building and Construction Authority had no power to oversee the construction site, the inquiry board was told.   

The public inquiry was conducted by Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon (current Ombudsman), assisted by Auditor General Charles Deguara and court expert Mario Cassar.