A public inquiry should be launched into the death of 20-year-old Jean Paul Sofia, who was killed in a construction accident last month, a PN MP appealed on Tuesday
Speaking during the adjournment in parliamentary, Jerome Caruana Cilia said he had spoken with the victim's mother, Isabelle Bonnici, who is still in the dark about what happened to her son.
Last month, Bonnici called for justice and a public inquiry.
The Corradino Industrial Estate construction site where Sofia was killed was being developed into a timber factory It came tumbling down on December 3.
Sofia was found dead, buried beneath the rubble following a 14-hour search.
“This is a tragedy for the mother, the family and the nation,” Caruana Cilia said.
“Time passes, the funeral takes place, and everyone is back to their normal routine as if nothing happened. There are people in authority who are not shouldering their responsibilities,” he said.
His speech reflects a similar appeal the party made last month, calling for the government to take responsibility for the death and to prevent future construction accidents.
Caruana Cilia said: “There are people in the construction industry who feel untouchable and who think they are gods because people in power are ready to cover for them,” he said.
He said that it could be that some people in power even conspired in business with such “untouchables” and that there are four "cowboys" in the construction industry who do as they please.
“Isabelle told me that since the death of her son, she has had no details on what happened. There has been a lack of transparency on what truly happened,” he said.
“I appeal to the government to, for the sake of this mother, hold a public inquiry so that not only do we bring justice to Jean Paul, but we will also have recommendations to ensure that such tragic deaths are not repeated.”
Proposed Qormi supermarket
Caruana Cilia also spoke about the proposed supermarket on an ODZ site in Qormi, just one kilometre away from a brand-new store in Mrieħel.
"This development will be a detriment to the residents of Qormi," he said.
He questioned whether the necessary studies on how the proposed supermarket will impact traffic and parking in the area, which already suffers from such challenges being in an industrial zone, had been held.