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Murder of journalist that shocked Malta, Maltese businessman declared innocent

2026-09-02 23:14:30Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Businessman Yorgen Fenech and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

A court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech, who was accused of organizing and inciting the murder of renowned investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech, 44, was acquitted on Wednesday after a weeks-long jury trial. He faced charges of accessory to murder and a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

The jury found Fenech not guilty on both charges by a vote of 8 to 1, after about eight hours of deliberation.

The decision caused strong reactions in the courtroom in Valletta. Family members of Daphne Caruana Galizia were seen crying after the verdict was announced, while Fenech's relatives celebrated outside and inside the court.

The family of the murdered journalist stated that, nine years after Daphne's brutal murder, the institutional failures that made the crime possible have still not been addressed and reformed.

"Sustainable justice means that no one faces the same dangers again," the family said, stressing that the Maltese state failed to protect the journalist's life and that the country has an obligation to prevent the loss of other lives.

The murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017 shocked Malta and the journalistic community across Europe. The journalist, who was 53 years old, was killed when a bomb exploded in her car near her home. She had become known for her investigations into corruption and the links between Malta's business and political elite.

The prosecution argued during the trial that Fenech had a motive for eliminating the journalist, as she was suspected of being close to publishing information that could harm him.

Fenech has repeatedly denied the allegations and stated that he did not order the murder.

The killing sparked mass protests, sparking a political crisis that led to the resignation of then-prime minister Joseph Muscat.

The journalist's children, who were in the courtroom when the verdict was read, reacted in a statement posted on Facebook. They said the verdict deprived their mother of the justice she deserved.

"Nine years after Daphne's brutal murder, the institutional failures that allowed her murder remain unresolved and unreformed," the statement said.

Fenech was the last of six people accused of conspiracy in the journalist's murder to go to trial.

Caruana Galizia was an investigative journalist known for her writings on corruption and the links between politics and business in Malta. Her reporting also focused on people close to then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, while she had also denounced companies registered in tax havens, revealed through the Panama Papers.

Shortly before the murder, the journalist was facing more than 40 defamation lawsuits.

An independent investigation published in 2021 concluded that the Maltese state should take responsibility for creating a climate of impunity that had contributed to her murder.

Fenech was part of a consortium that had won a controversial contract with the Maltese government to build a power plant.

His arrest in 2019, while leaving Malta on his yacht, sparked major protests in the country and increased pressure on the government, ultimately leading to Muscat's resignation.

In 2022, George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred pleaded guilty to murder and were sentenced to 40 years in prison each.

In 2025, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. They were accused of providing the bomb that killed the journalist.

Meanwhile, Vincent Muscat pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Another person, a taxi driver who claimed to have served as a "go-between" in the case, received a presidential pardon in 2019 in exchange for his testimony.


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