Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech stands trial for ordering murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

In Valletta, the long-awaited trial of Yorgen Fenech, a 44-year-old real estate heir, has begun. Prosecutors allege he planned and financed the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who died in a car bomb explosion in October 2017.

Maltese tycoon Yorgen Fenech stands trial for ordering murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

A court in the Maltese capital Valletta on Wednesday opened the highly anticipated trial of Yorgen Fenech, a 44-year-old heir to a real estate empire that includes the Hilton hotel and a casino on the island. Prosecutors contend that the businessman orchestrated and bankrolled the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a bomb planted in her car on 16 October 2017.

According to government prosecutors, whose statements were reported by the Guardian, Fenech paid 150,000 euros to three hitmen to carry out the killing. The journalist was 53 years old and, as a columnist and blogger, was regarded as one of the most influential media figures in Malta. Her reporting on corruption among government and business elites made her a repeated target of attacks.

Fenech, arrested seven years ago, pleaded not guilty at the start of the proceedings. He faces charges of complicity in premeditated murder and of associating with others to commit a criminal offence. He is the last of seven men whom prosecutors have linked to the murder to face trial. Five have already been convicted, while one received a pardon in exchange for testimony.

The jury heard that the attackers spent weeks monitoring the journalist's movements before breaking into her vehicle the night before the murder and placing a powerful explosive device beneath the driver's seat, concealed inside a children's shoebox. Her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, was the first to arrive at the scene and discovered her remains among the burning wreckage.

Prosecutors told the court that Fenech called his friend Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver and bookmaker, in April 2017 and instructed him to find a killer. He allegedly even provided the name of a potential executioner — a member of the George Degiorgia criminal gang. The prosecution claims Fenech ordered the murder because the journalist intended to publish a story about his uncle. Theuma then contacted the Degiorgia brothers and agreed on a fee of 150,000 euros, including a 30,000-euro advance.

The assassination was temporarily postponed due to general elections in June 2017. Two weeks after the Labour Party returned to power, Fenech allegedly told Theuma to proceed with the plan. Prosecutors further allege that Fenech personally handed Theuma an envelope containing cash and repeatedly pressed for swift execution over the following months.

Under Maltese law, the jury will remain in isolation throughout the trial, housed in a hotel without access to computers, mobile phones, or smartwatches.

Source: Delo / Guardian

Source: Delo