Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/728388
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2016 12 PAUL COCKS THE parents of 26-year-old Jo- hanna Boni, who died in a traffic accident in Naxxar in January, are appealing for the return of their daughter's mobile phone, which they claim was not included with the rest of her personal effects that they have finally managed to get their hands on. Boni died when a truck hit the motorcycle she was riding in La- bour Avenue – a Kawasaki, which lodged itself beneath the truck's front bumper – crushing the rider beneath the wheels. The driver of the truck was a 52-year-old man from Mellieha. Sicilian Johanna Boni, an avid motorcyclist and traveller, had been living in Malta for the past years and worked for a local insur- ance broker. MaltaToday revisited the scene of the accident, where a memorial was put up in memory of Johanna, and where her parents were re- arranging the seashells spread around the monument's base. Pippo and Josephine said that it took more than seven months for them to finally have their daugh- ter's handbag and motorcycle re- turned. But they soon realised that there were still some personal items missing, mainly Johanna's Sam- sung mobile phone and charger, her rings, watch and keys. Pippo Boni said that they man- aged to trace the jewellery and keys to the obituary, but only after they recently appointed lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha to rep- resent them. "But when we collected the items from the obituary, the mobile phone was missing," Boni said. "The official there insisted there were no other items belonging to Johanna." What is ironic is that among the items returned was Johanna's mo- bile phone cover, a pink protective rubber case that she used to cover the Samsung Galaxy S4. "Johanna used to hide money in- side the cover, beneath the phone," Pippo explained. "When they gave us the cover, the cash was still in it. But still they said that the phone was not there." Boni said that the police had at first questioned whether Johanna had actually been carrying the items, and the magistrate even referred to the photos taken on site on the day of the accident, and confirmed that there were no rings or watches on Johanna Boni's hands when the scene-of-crime of- ficers photographed the body on the spot. "And yet, we finally managed to track this jewellery and her keys to the obituary," Josephine said. "Unfortunately, Johanna's mobile phone is what we really were after as this holds so many memories, all those photos, emails and mes- sages." Pippo said that they could not – and were not – accusing any offi- cial of pocketing the phone. "The police told us that the phone may have fallen from Jo- hanna's pockets when the truck hit her, and that somebody may have picked it up off the road in the vi- cinity of the accident," he said. "That may very well be true, even though the phone cover has no scratches of damage and the cash was still inside it." Whatever the case may be, Pippo and Josephine are appealing for whoever has the Johanna's mobile phone to try and imagine what they must be feeling as parents and how important the photos, mes- sages and other content could be in their healing process, as they come to grips with their daughter's passing. "With regards to the magisterial inquiry into the accident – and any culpability thereof – our lawyer tells us to trust in the system and to have patience," Pippo said. "I am resigned to doing just that," he said. "We trust our lawyer, he has already shown he can get re- sults, and we trust that justice will ultimately prevail." "But that phone is important to us, what is on it is invaluable, but only to us – her parents." MaltaToday contacted Michael Schiriha, the couple's lawyer, who chose not to comment 'at this stage of the inquiry'. Pippo and Josephine's appeal raises a number of unsettling is- sues. How can personal belongings go missing from victims of acci- dents? How frequently does this occur? Why does it take so long to release the personal belongings to the relatives? Are public officials screened and trained adequately to be able to deal with relatives of victims? But that is not why Pippo and Josephine were back in Malta this week. All they want, simply put, is to be able to access their daugh- ter's memories and messages saved on her phone. It is not about the cost of the phone, but about the value of what is stored on it. News In 2017, Malta will be holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). As part of an exercise to supplement the complement of the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) officers, a number of vacancies have arisen for the following post. Assistant Environment Protection Officer/s (EU Presidency) Jobs Plus Permit No. 406/2016 This post requires persons to support ERA in the upcoming Malta EU Presidency by analysing legislative proposals and preparing common positions or compromise texts. The role also involves reporting to the international institutions, environment policy making, drafting of permits and the integration of environmental considerations within the development control process. Applicant/s must be in possession of a Graduate Degree at MQF Level 6 recognized by the NCFHE, preferably in one of the following fields: chemistry; physics; biology; maths; law or an environment- relevant social or natural discipline including geography, environmental planning, environmental management, environmental or natural resources, earth systems or equivalent. A clean driving license is also required. The above posts are for a definite period of one year, without the possibility of renewal. Interested candidates are advised to submit their application, together with a detailed curriculum vitae by noon of the 3rd October (CET) to the attention of Human Resources, quoting the respective position and Jobs Plus permit number via email on vacancies.era@era.org.mt For further information visit the careers page on our website: era.org.mt Environment & Resources Authority Hexagon House, Spencer Hill, Marsa. CAREER OPPORTUNITY Parent's appeal for dead daughter's mobile phone Eight months on, victim's parents say their daughter's mobile phone was not returned with her belongings 'We want to be able to access Johanna's photos, memories and messages' Pippo and Josephine Boni said that it took more than seven months to have their daughter's handbag and motorcycle returned