A Maltese jury on Wednesday acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity in the 2017 car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and of criminal association. The nine-member jury returned an 8-1 not-guilty vote on each count in a Valletta court after about eight hours of deliberation, ending a closely watched trial with major implications for press freedom and confidence in Malta's institutions.
Caruana Galizia, 53, was killed outside her home in Bidnija on October 16, 2017. Her reporting examined corruption, the Panama Papers and connections between business and senior political figures. The assassination shocked Europe, prompted mass protests and helped force Prime Minister Joseph Muscat from office in early 2020, making the case a defining test of accountability in the European Union's smallest member state.
Prosecutors alleged that Fenech commissioned and financed the killing through intermediary Melvin Theuma, with 150,000 euros allocated for the operation, including a 30,000-euro deposit. Fenech denied the charges. His lawyers disputed Theuma's credibility and argued that the evidence did not remove reasonable doubt, while Fenech pointed to former prime ministerial chief of staff Keith Schembri as the person behind the assassination. Schembri has denied involvement.
The 55-day trial included testimony from investigators and experts, recordings made by Theuma, digital communications and several days of evidence from Fenech. Judge Edwina Grima directed jurors to assess the two charges separately. After the verdict, she ordered Fenech released from custody; he had faced life imprisonment if convicted. The prosecution is expected to appeal, according to The Guardian.
Caruana Galizia's family said the acquittal denied the journalist the justice she deserved and called for accountability for everyone who enabled, facilitated or protected her killers. Malta's government said it respected the verdict and noted that several people had already received lengthy prison terms in connection with the murder. Opposition leader Alex Borg said the decision did not close the chapter and called for a demonstration outside parliament.
Several men have previously admitted or received convictions for roles in the bombing, but Fenech was the last of six defendants charged in the alleged plot to face prosecution, according to the Associated Press. The verdict leaves unresolved public questions about who ordered the killing and how Maltese institutions handled the investigation. Attention will now turn to any prosecution appeal, other pending proceedings and renewed demands for reforms protecting journalists and the rule of law.
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