Maltese businessman acquitted in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial

A jury in Valletta voted 8-1 to acquit Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, of charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy in the 2017 car-bomb killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Prosecutors had alleged that Fenech orchestrated and financed the attack, but the jury found him not guilty on both counts, making him the final defendant among six people charged in the plot.

Caruana Galizia was killed on Oct. 16, 2017 when a bomb detonated as she drove near her home. Her reporting had focused on alleged corruption involving political figures and business interests in Malta, and at the time of her death she faced more than 40 libel suits.

Fenech, who was arrested in 2019 while leaving Malta on his yacht, had been linked to a controversial government contract for a power station. After the verdict, he left the courtroom without comment amid a noisy crowd. His lawyer, Gianella De Marco, said the decision showed that the jury did not accept the testimony of a key witness who had received a presidential pardon in exchange for his evidence.

The family of Caruana Galizia, present in the courtroom, issued a statement on social media saying the verdict denied the journalist the justice she deserves and called for reforms to protect journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the outcome was “heartbreaking” for the family and pledged to continue seeking accountability.

Previous convictions in the case include two men sentenced to 40 years for carrying out the bombing, two others receiving life sentences for supplying the bomb, and a third man sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty. A taxi driver who acted as a middleman was pardoned in 2019 for his testimony.