Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech acquitted of ordering journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder
A Maltese court acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the 2017 car-bomb killing of reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, drawing fury from her family and press freedom groups.
Fenech acquitted over Caruana Galizia car-bomb killing as family condemns 'terrible decision'
A Maltese court on Wednesday acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the 2017 car-bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Google News IE — Crime (en) reports, sparking outrage from the reporter's family and media freedom organisations worldwide.
Fenech, whose business interests spanned the energy and tourism sectors, had stood accused of masterminding the killing of the 53-year-old journalist whose work exposed corruption at the highest levels of Maltese public life. He was arrested in 2019 aboard his yacht as he attempted to sail out of Malta, after a middleman in the murder was offered a pardon in exchange for identifying those who ordered the killing.
Prosecutors alleged Fenech arranged the assassination because Caruana Galizia was about to publish a compromising article about his uncle.
Her family responded to the verdict with a formal statement condemning the decision. "Accountability is now overdue for all those who enabled, facilitated, or protected her murderers," the family said. Her son Matthew Caruana Galizia described it as a "terrible decision... that our country may never recover from," adding that the acquittal amounted to "denying her the justice she deserves."
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom said the verdict sent "a disturbing message to those who attack and kill journalists." Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said it was "beyond outraged," warning that Maltese authorities had "failed to identify and convict the mastermind" nearly nine years after the killing.
Caruana Galizia, dubbed a "one-woman WikiLeaks," was killed in October 2017 when a car bomb detonated beneath her vehicle in northern Malta. Her murder shocked the European Union and drew sustained international scrutiny of Malta's rule-of-law standards. The killing triggered mass protests and ultimately led to the resignation of then-prime minister Joseph Muscat in January 2020, amid widespread anger over his perceived efforts to shield associates from the investigation.
A two-year public inquiry published in July 2021 concluded that the state should "shoulder responsibility" for the murder, citing an "atmosphere of impunity" fostered by the government. A separate 437-page judicial report found "convincing evidence" that the killers believed they would be protected by "persons in the highest state positions."
Five people have so far been convicted in connection with the murder. In June 2025, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were found guilty of supplying the bomb and sentenced to life in prison. Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, along with Vince Muscat, are serving prison sentences for carrying out the killing.
Caruana Galizia's family said on Wednesday that "the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed" nine years on. Reporters Without Borders called on Maltese authorities to "implement the long overdue measures protecting journalists and media freedom."
The Maltese government issued a brief statement saying it "took note" of the verdict and remained "committed to ensuring that justice is served."
Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)