A photo of construction works victim Jean Paul Sofia which was placed on the lawn in front of the Auberge de Castille was removed overnight, leading to complaints by the young man’s mother and the leader of the opposition.

Jean Paul, 20, was killed when a building under construction collapsed in Corradino in December.

His mother Isabelle has since been campaigning for an independent public inquiry into the incident, supported by the Nationalist Party. Prime Minister Robert Abela has rebuffed the calls.

In a Facebook post Isabelle thanked all those who were supporting her and had planned to place candles in front of the picture of her son.

"What has happened will not dishearten me. I will continue to insist, for as long as I live, that a public inquiry should be called, so that the relatives of other victims would not have to go through my sorrow," she wrote.

“I do not want my son to have died in vain. The candle lights have been extinguished, the photo has been removed, but I want to be a ray of hope for greater safety at places of work, and for justice,” the distraught mother wrote.

"Life is too precious to be snuffed out as if nothing has happened in this country.”  

Opposition leader Bernard Grech in a separate Facbook post hit out at government obstinacy.

"How can you be so stubborn? How can you even remove the picture of a victim placed in front of Castille by his own mother, when all she wants is the truth about the death of her son?" he wrote.

"Instead of protecting friends of Castille, this country needs to protect its sons," he said, adding that the opposition would not let anyone wash away the blood of the victim to hide his own actions. The truth needed to be revealed and the PN would therefore continue to support the call for a public inquiry.