Malta: Murder trial of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia begins, businessman accused of €150,000 contract killing

The trial of Yorgen Fenech, a wealthy Maltese businessman accused of orchestrating the 2017 car-bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, opened in Malta. Prosecutors allege he paid three hitmen €150,000.

Malta: Murder trial of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia begins, businessman accused of €150,000 contract killing

The long-awaited trial of Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese tycoon, commenced on 2 July 2026 in Malta. Prosecutors accuse the 44-year-old of masterminding the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in October 2017.

The 53-year-old reporter died when an explosive device hidden beneath the driver's seat of her vehicle detonated near her home. At the time, she had been probing allegations of high-level graft on the island, including connections to the Panama Papers scandal.

Fenech, heir to a property empire that includes the Hilton Malta hotel and a casino, stands accused of complicity in premeditated homicide and membership in a criminal organization. He denies all charges.

According to the prosecution, Fenech enlisted a former taxi driver, Melvin Theuma, to recruit killers. Theuma later confessed to his intermediary role and received immunity in exchange for testifying. He told investigators that Fenech gave him €150,000 for his participation in the plot.

Court testimony revealed that the bomb had been placed inside a shoebox under the victim's car seat. The perpetrators had broken into her vehicle the night before the attack and tracked her movements for weeks before detonating the device remotely from a boat at sea.

The murder triggered a deep political crisis in Malta, forcing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to step down in 2020, although he was never charged in connection with the killing. Fenech was apprehended in late 2019 while attempting to flee on his yacht.

He is the last of seven men to stand trial; five have already been convicted and one secured immunity. The proceedings before a jury are expected to last several weeks.

Source: NewsIT

Source: Newsit.gr