Yorgen Fenech acquitted in Malta for murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
A Maltese court acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech on Wednesday, accused of orchestrating the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. The prosecution is to appeal against the verdict.
Verdict in Caruana Galizia case: Fenech found not guilty after eight votes to one
A jury of six women and three men acquitted 44-year-old Maltese magnate Yorgen Fenech on Wednesday for orchestrating the killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car-bomb attack in October 2017. According to Digi24, citing The Guardian, the verdict was pronounced with a majority of eight to one on both counts: complicity in wilful murder and association for the purpose of committing an offence.
The jury foreman announced the decision in the presence of family members and the press, the moment marked by exclamations of surprise and applause in the courtroom.
The prosecution is to appeal against the verdict, according to the same sources. The decision is a blow to the victim's family, as well as to politicians and activists who regard the case as a landmark moment in the fight for press freedom in Europe.
Accusations of €150,000 and a network of political contacts
Prosecutors argued that Fenech, one of Malta's wealthiest businessmen, paid €150,000 through an intermediary, Melvin Theuma, to have the journalist killed. His family owns two Hilton hotels and a stake in an electricity plant on the island. Prosecutor Anthony Vella sought a life sentence, stating before the jury that Fenech believed he could "buy justice": "You are asked to decide whether a man who had extensive contacts in politics and among the heads of public entities had sufficient power to pay for Daphne to be killed."
The trial, which lasted two months, revealed the extent of Fenech's network of political contacts and raised questions about attempts to sabotage police investigations.
The defence points to the former chief of staff
Fenech's lawyers argued that the chain of command was at a higher level, pointing to Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Key witnesses and the defendant himself stated that Schembri repeatedly divulged sensitive information to Fenech, and that police had not adequately investigated these allegations.
Defence lawyer Charles Mercieca stated in his closing argument: "All roads lead to Keith, and all bridges to Keith have been burned."
In his own testimony, Fenech denied any involvement: "I never ordered the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, nor anyone else. I had no role in her killing." He claimed that he acted solely as a messenger between Schembri and Theuma and that the taxi driver blackmailed him. Schembri, who also testified during the trial, denied any wrongdoing and stated that he was not involved in the information leaks and knew nothing about the assassination.
Political consequences of an emblematic case
Caruana Galizia's killing, whose reports targeted Fenech and top political figures, triggered Malta's gravest political scandal since the post-war period. The case became a rallying point for the anti-corruption movement and activism for press freedom at European level.
The political consequences were immediate: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat lost office, along with two ministers and his own chief of staff. Malta, the smallest EU member state, came under pressure from European institutions and international press organisations.
Nearly nine years after the journalist's death, Wednesday's verdict leaves unanswered one of the most high-profile crimes in the continent's recent history, with the case set to continue in the appeals court.
Source: Digi24