Joseph Farrugia Returns State Honour After Yorgen Fenech Acquittal
Former Malta Employers' Association director general Joseph Farrugia has handed back his Ġieħ ir-Repubblika honour, citing the Fenech acquittal as a crisis of institutional faith.
Former MEA chief returns Ġieħ ir-Repubblika over Fenech verdict
Joseph Farrugia, former director general of the Malta Employers' Association, has returned his Ġieħ ir-Repubblika honour to the State following the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech on charges linked to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Lovin Malta received a copy of the letter Farrugia sent to President Myriam Spiteri Debono setting out his reasons.
"I love my country to death, but I feel disconnected from it," Farrugia wrote, adding that he could no longer say he was proud of Malta. He described the medal not merely as recognition for his career but as a lasting commitment of loyalty — one he no longer felt able to sustain.
Farrugia received the honour in 2024 after nearly 25 years leading the Malta Employers' Association. He stressed that handing it back was not a sign of disrespect towards the President.
His letter frames the acquittal as the catalyst for a broader crisis of confidence in Malta's institutions and justice system. Beyond the Caruana Galizia case, Farrugia referenced the unsolved murders of Karin Grech, Raymond Caruana, Sion Grech and Lassana Cisse as further evidence of systemic failure. These are Farrugia's own assessments in explaining his decision.
On last month's 8-1 jury verdict acquitting Fenech of complicity and conspiracy in Caruana Galizia's murder, Farrugia wrote that the "jury" of his own conscience had reached its decision "eight to one" — a pointed echo of the courtroom outcome.
Despite the sharply critical tone throughout, Farrugia said he intends to keep working in Malta's interests and acknowledged that much about the country remains good.
Farrugia is believed to be the first person to voluntarily return a Ġieħ ir-Repubblika honour, though others have previously declined honours when they were offered.
Source: Lovin Malta