A jury in Valletta has acquitted Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity in the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, 44, faced charges of criminal association and involvement in the killing, both of which he consistently denied throughout the proceedings. The jury reached their verdict by an 8-1 margin following eight hours of deliberation.
Caruana Galizia, a prominent journalist known for exposing corruption and money laundering, was killed by a car bomb at age 53. Her work frequently targeted high-level government officials and included contributions to the Panama Papers investigation. The assassination sparked significant public unrest and political instability in Malta, eventually leading to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in 2020.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Fenech sought to silence the journalist to prevent the publication of damaging information. Fenech countered these claims by implicating Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to Muscat. Schembri has denied any involvement in the crime and was not considered a suspect by police.
Following the verdict, the family of Caruana Galizia expressed deep disappointment, stating that the institutional failures surrounding her death remain unresolved. While Fenech has been cleared, other individuals have been convicted in connection with the case. In 2022, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio received 40-year prison sentences for the killing, and in 2025, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were sentenced to life imprisonment for providing the explosive device.
Source: BBC News
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