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GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 DEPUTY EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 30 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS Ministry officials cleared over worker's death THREE Gozo Ministry officials were acquitted of all charges in connection with the death of a 52-year-old worker during reno- vation works in Dwejra in March 2021. The worker was crushed to death when the roof of a public toilet collapsed during demolition works. The Gozo Court cleared Joseph Cutajar, Vicky Xuereb and Joseph Xuereb of involuntary homicide and multiple breaches of occupational health and safety regulations, after concluding that the demolition work, which led to Carmel Attard's death had never been authorised. The court found that although several safety measures required for demolition work had not been implemented, the prosecution had failed to establish that the three accused bore criminal re- sponsibility for those shortcom- ings. Attard lost his life on 18 March 2021, when part of the concrete roof of the public toilets in Dwe- jra, San Lawrenz, collapsed while renovation works were under- way. Officers responding to the incident found Attard trapped beneath the rubble. Emergency services were called to the scene, but he was certified dead shortly afterwards. At the time, Attard was em- ployed by the Community Work Scheme Enterprise Foundation and had been assigned to carry out maintenance works for the Gozo Ministry. The three accused held differ- ent positions within the ministry. Cutajar was director of EcoGozo, Vicky Xuereb was director gen- eral within the ministry's Strategy and Support Division, while Jo- seph Xuereb was responsible for the day-to-day management of the maintenance workers. Following a magisterial inquiry and investigations by the Occupa- tional Health and Safety Authori- ty, criminal proceedings were in- stituted against all three. Roof demolition had not been authorised The court heard that the work- ers had originally been assigned to carry out internal renovation works, including removing tiles and flooring from the public toi- lets. However, the scope of the works changed when concerns arose about the condition of the roof. Architect Matthew Casha had inspected the building and concluded that the roof needed replacing. Nevertheless, he had not issued instructions for dem- olition to begin. The court heard that the architect was still prepar- ing a bill of quantities to establish the costs of the proposed works before the necessary administra- tive decisions could be taken. Despite this, work on disman- tling the roof began before formal authorisation had been granted. Evidence showed that Joseph Xuereb, the workers' foreman, had reprimanded Attard after learning that demolition work had started without permission. He instructed the workers to stop dismantling the roof and to con- centrate on clearing the rubble the following day. The court accepted that these instructions had been given and t h a t the demoli- tion work was not part of the tasks originally assigned to the mainte- nance team. In its judgment, the court con- cluded that the demolition had begun on Attard's own initiative, without the necessary authorisa- tion. A central issue in the proceed- ings concerned who was legal- ly responsible for ensuring the workers' health and safety. Although Attard and his col- leagues were carrying out works for the Gozo Ministry, they were formally employed by the Com- munity Work Scheme Enterprise Foundation. A 2017 agreement between the foundation and the ministry stipulated that the min- istry was responsible for compli- ance with occupational health and safety requirements and for providing necessary protective equipment. However, the court observed that the actual working arrangements presented a dif- ferent picture. The foundation selected and assigned workers according to their skills, provided basic health and safety training and paid their wages. The court consequently concluded that the Gozo Ministry could not be con- sidered their employer for the purposes of the criminal responsi- bilities under examination. The court also found that the obligations relating to demolition planning and supervision arose when the roof demolition began. Since that work had not been au- thorised, and given the architect's contractual responsibilities for the project's technical planning and management, the court expressed doubts about attributing those obligations to the accused. The court ultimately concluded that the evidence did not establish the necessary responsibility on the part of any of the three accused. The court consequently acquit- ted Joseph Xuereb, Vicky Xuereb and Joseph Cutajar of all charges brought against them. Defence lawyers Joe Giglio, Michaela Giglio, and Joseph Xuereb represented the accused. Magistrate Jean Paul Grech pre- sided over the sitting. JULIA DOWLING jdowling@mediatoday.com.mt BirdLife Malta seeks volunteers BirdLife Malta is recruiting volunteers in Gozo to help rescue and care for injured wild birds. The organisation will hold a training session on 6 November. Interested participants must register online by 2 November

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