Malta jury acquits businessman Yorgen Fenech of 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

Jury delivers acquittal on both charges

A nine-member jury in Valletta acquitted Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech on Wednesday of all charges related to the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, 44, stood trial for complicity in voluntary homicide and criminal association with the intention to commit a crime. The jury, composed of six women and three men, concluded the two-month trial by voting 8 to 1 to dismiss both counts. Had jurors found him guilty, Fenech could have faced a sentence of life imprisonment.

The 2017 bombing and prosecution case

Caruana Galizia died at age 53 in October 2017 when an explosive device detonated inside her car, leading to broad public demonstrations across the European Union's smallest member state. Her investigative reporting had focused on corruption, examining prominent domestic political figures as well as Fenech's business enterprises. State prosecutors formally indicted Fenech in 2021, presenting allegations that he planned and financed the assassination. State prosecutors stated that Fenech paid €150,000 to commission the killing through a middleman, Melvin Theuma. Fenech, an influential property developer whose family holds two Hilton hotels and shares in a domestic power station, maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and entered a plea of not guilty.

Testimony on political ties and leaked intelligence

The two-month trial in Valletta detailed extensive connections between Fenech and senior government figures, alongside claims of interference in the police inquiry. Testimony from witnesses and the defendant indicated that sensitive police investigation details had been repeatedly leaked to Fenech by the prime minister's chief of staff. In his closing arguments to the jury, prosecutor Anthony Vella argued that Fenech believed his wealth gave him total impunity and that he could buy justice.

You are being asked to decide whether a man who had extensive contacts in politics and among the heads of public entities had enough power to pay for Daphne to be killed.

The defence team argued that criminal responsibility extended higher into political ranks. The initial fallout from the 2017 murder previously forced Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign from office, along with two cabinet ministers and his chief of staff.

Family response and expected prosecution appeal

Following the delivery of the verdict, the family of Caruana Galizia issued a statement expressing dismay at the outcome, declaring that the day should have belonged to the late reporter. The family stated that the acquittal denies her the justice she deserves and emphasized that institutional failures remain unaddressed nearly nine years after the car bombing.

Nine years after the brutal murder of Daphne, the institutional shortcomings that allowed her death remain unaddressed and uncorrected. Our country did not protect Daphne's life. It has an obligation to prevent further lives from being lost.

The verdict represents a setback for campaigners and European politicians who viewed the trial as a central action for the defence of press freedom across the continent. Legal authorities indicate that the state prosecution is expected to appeal the jury's acquittal.