The family of 2020 construction site victim Miriam Pace has  expressed support for Jean Paul Sofia’s relatives in their quest for justice and a public inquiry that “goes beyond the surface” of the young man’s tragic death in a building collapse last year.

Sofia’s family need to “heal, find closure and bring about meaningful change”, Pace’s own family said.

Speaking to Times of Malta ahead of a vigil for Sofia, to be held outside the prime minister’s office this evening, the Paces lauded Sofia’s relatives, especially his mother Isabelle Bonnici, in their search for truth.

“We are behind you Isabelle and family,” they said as they expressed their admiration for the determination being shown by Sofia’s family.

But the Paces also “feel shame and sadness that they have to go through such lengths to finally be ignored”.

Sofia died under tons of rubble when a building under construction in Corradino collapsed last December. Bonnici has since been campaigning doggedly for a public inquiry to be held but Labour MPs last week defeated an opposition motion pushing for it.

Carmel Pace, husband of Miriam Pace.

Pace, 54, was buried under the debris of her family home in Triq Joseph Abela Scolaro, Ħamrun, on March 2, 2020, in another construction site incident that prompted an outpouring of public grief and anger as well as promises of reform in the sector.

The following year, two architects found guilty of her involuntary homicide were sentenced to community work and to pay 18,000 in fines. They have appealed. The excavation contractor and a construction worker on the site are having their case heard by the criminal court.

Carmel Pace and his children Ivana and Matthew said that despite hoping for change following the death of their wife and mother, “we keep seeing the same mistakes and negligence happening all over”.

“The public inquiry is just as important as the magisterial inquiry because it goes beyond the surface and investigates the actions of authorities and state institutions.

“The state needs to understand that refusing a public inquiry makes it even more difficult for the family to cope with their grief. A well-executed public inquiry will provide closure and help everyone understand what really happened,” they told Times of Malta.

The Paces said while it was important for society to support the right of Sofia’s family to have a public inquiry, it was equally important that elected representatives remember their duty to society.

Isabelle Bonnici (bottom), Jean Paul Sofia’s mother.

“We stand for fairness, accountability and a better future. We should not let the same mistakes happen again. Let us all come together to investigate the actions of authorities and state institutions thoroughly. This way, we can heal, find closure and bring about meaningful change – truly,” they added.

They explained how they, just like Jean Paul’s relatives, had embarked on a similar journey to promote the need for a public inquiry. After realising that “a genuine quest to improve the situation was not on the table”, they decided to step back and instead focus on the family’s wellbeing.

“It is unimaginably hard to deal with the pain and other challenges that life throws at you even when you already need to face reality. At one point it feels easier to just accept the situation and not fight against closed doors and insensitive responses from a society-appointed structure that should instil stability and fair control – that ship has long sailed and re-occurrence is the order of the day,” they said.

They said that when faced with such “horrendous situations”, one has two paths: either to actively and openly pursue justice, on all fronts, in an attempt to close gaps to minimise opportunities for repeats, or “accept the new abrupt reality without our Miriam”.

“Our family decided to do the latter not because it doesn’t matter but because when we tried it was evidently futile, with the only option being to prioritise sanity and move away from the anger and exponential pain that keeps building from ruthless statements that are founded from a deceitful source that is not truly trying to help you heal or wants society to improve as an entity,” the Pace family said.