Acquittal for Fenech in Caruana Galizia murder case – family speaks of justice denied
A jury has acquitted Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity in the car bombing attack on journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Fenech found not guilty – sons of Caruana Galizia in courtroom
According to Google News CH — Crime, a jury in Malta acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech on Wednesday of the charge of ordering the car bombing murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech had been charged with complicity and criminal conspiracy – allegations he had consistently denied.
Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb near her home on 16 October 2017. She was 53 years old. Her investigations focused on corruption in the EU island state, including offshore companies connected to then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, which became known following the release of the "Panama Papers". At the time of her death, more than 40 defamation lawsuits were pending against her.
The murder prompted protests across Europe. Fenech was arrested in 2019 as he attempted to leave Malta on his yacht. The subsequent mass protests led to Muscat's resignation.
Fenech is one of around half a dozen people charged in connection with the attack. He had links to a consortium that received a controversial government contract to build a power station.
Over the past years, several other participants have been convicted: two brothers pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder and each received 40 years imprisonment. Another man who pleaded guilty in 2021 was sentenced to 15 years. In 2025, two men were convicted of assisting in the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment; they are said to have supplied the bomb.
An independent investigation concluded in 2021 that the Maltese state bore partial responsibility for the murder due to a culture of impunity emanating from the highest levels of government.
Caruana Galizia's sons were present in the courtroom on Wednesday when Fenech was acquitted. Shortly afterwards, the family said on Facebook that the verdict denied the journalist the justice "that she deserved".
Source: Google News CH — Crime (de)