Two of four men who are facing criminal charges over the Ħamrun house collapse that killed Miriam Pace have objected to their case being decided by a magistrate's court.
The accused are architects Roderick Camilleri, 37 and Anthony Mangion, 73, as well as 37-year old excavation contractor Ludwig Dimech and 42-year old construction worker Nicholas Spiteri.
Dimech and Spiteri informed the court on Tuesday that they were formally objecting to having their case dealt with summarily,(before the magistrates’ court), opting instead to proceed to trial before the Criminal Court.
The decision means that proceedings will now continue before Magistrate Joseph Mifsud in respect of the two architects and it is only when those proceedings have run their course, including at appeal stage, that a bill of indictment may be issued in respect of the other two accused.
During Tuesday’s sitting the prosecution wrapped up its evidence by summoning the Planning Authority executive chairman, Martin Saliba, who testified that the works commencement notice (on a site adjacent to Miriam Pace's house) had been submitted in February, days before the tragic incident of March 2.
Works had thus commenced ahead of the stipulated time-limit, the court was told.
A bank guarantee, one of various legal documents needed in relation to the project application, had been uploaded on the same day of the incident.
The court was also presented with a number of DVDs containing footage of all forensic investigations carried out at the site of the collapse.
All the accused are pleading not guilty to the charges and have been out on bail since their arraignment in April last year.
Miriam Pace, the 54-year old mother-of-two, was buried under the rubble that fateful afternoon, her lifeless body being found hours later in an extensive search that continued throughout the night.
The tragedy had sparked a national outpouring of grief and anger, amid calls for a reform of the construction industry.
Since then, Miriam’s husband, Carmelo Pace, has regularly posted tributes to his deceased wife on social media and questioned what the authorities have done to remedy the situation, fearing that the tragedy might be “swept under the carpet.”
When testifying in court last October, Pace said although the family could assess its material losses brought about by the collapse, no monetary value could be put “on memories.”
The case continues.
Superintendent Robert Vella and Inspector Matthew Galea are prosecuting.
Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Alfred Abela are assisting the architects.
Lawyers Michael Sciriha and Roberto Montalto are assisting Dimech.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri are assisting Spiteri.
Lawyers Joe Giglio and David Bonello are representing the Pace family while Stefano Filletti represents other neighbours