Maltese jury acquits businessman over car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
A Malta jury has acquitted a businessman accused of masterminding the 2017 car bomb killing of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Malta jury clears tycoon in Caruana Galizia murder trial
A Maltese jury has acquitted a prominent businessman of masterminding the car bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Google News MT reports.
Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017 when a bomb planted beneath her car detonated near her home in Bidnija, Malta. She had been one of the country's most prominent investigative reporters, known for exposing corruption among senior political and business figures.
The businessman, who had been accused of commissioning the murder, was cleared by the jury following a trial that drew significant international attention. Three men who carried out the bombing were convicted separately in earlier proceedings.
The case has been a defining moment for press freedom advocates across Europe. Caruana Galizia's family and journalists' rights groups had pressed Maltese authorities for years to pursue those alleged to have ordered the killing.
Reuters and the Financial Times confirmed the acquittal verdict. The outcome is expected to prompt renewed debate over accountability and the rule of law in Malta, where the murder triggered a political crisis and mass protests in the years following her death.
No immediate statement from prosecutors on whether an appeal would be pursued was available at the time of reporting.
Source: Google News MT