The public inquiry probing the circumstances leading to the death of Jean Paul Sofia in a building collapse last December will be holding its first hearing at the Valletta Law Courts on Thursday.

The board announced the first hearing in a press call issued on Monday morning.

The public inquiry will investigate the government’s land transfer to developers behind the Corradino construction site tragedy, as well as the state’s broader responsibility in protecting workers at building sites from harm. 

Terms of reference for the public inquiry were presented last week, two weeks after the independent probe was announced.

The terms were signed by Prime Minister Robert Abela following negotiations with Sofia’s family. Abela has given the public inquiry board five months to do the job, although it has been empowered to request an extension should it need one.

The public inquiry will look into the specifics leading to the December 2022 Corradino construction site, including the way that AllPlus Ltd, the company behind the development, was handed a lease to build a timber factory at the government-owned Corradino Industrial Estate.

It has also been given the broader remit of investigating construction-related laws and health and safety regulations, to assess whether the Maltese state did enough to ensure construction site safety and protect workers from harm.

Three days after a copy of the final report is given to the Prime Minister and Jean Paul Sofia's family, the report will be published and tabled in parliament.

The inquiry must take into account the findings and conclusions of a magisterial inquiry into the collapse, led by Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia.

The inquiry will hear witnesses at the law courts. Proceedings will be public, save for instances when the board of inquiry chooses otherwise due to the sensitivity of witness testimony, for data protection reasons or to avoid prejudicing other legal proceedings.

The three-person board will be led by former judge Joseph Zammit McKeon with Auditor General Charles Deguara and architect Mario Cassar as members.

Five people have been charged with Sofia's involuntary homicide and the grievous injury of five others as a result of the collapse: the project's two developers, Matthew Schembri and Kurt Buhagiar; its architect Adriana Zammit; contractor Milomir Jovicevic and his wife Dijana, in her capacity as a company director.  

What will the public inquiry investigate?

• Whether the land allocation from government entities to Matthew Schembri and Kurt Buhagiar was lawful, regular and followed the necessary procedures;
• Whether there was a link between the allocation of the land and the building collapse and its consequences;
• Whether the state had adequate rules in place before, during or after the death of Jean Paul Sofia and whether it ensured regulations, policies, processes, administrative obligations and preventive measures to protect the health and safety of people during construction works were enforced;
• Whether adequate measures to prevent injuries and fatalities on construction sites are seriously integrated into all construction sector processes;
• Whether planning, development and construction processes are equipped with the laws, policies, regulations, administrative process and other operating measures necessary to eliminate as much as possible the risk of injury and/or death;
• Whether any state entity failed to take reasonable steps to avoid injury and or death