A jury in Malta on Wednesday acquitted prominent businessman Yorgen Fenech of all charges related to the 2017 car bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, who had been indicted in 2021 on charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy, was the final individual of six accused in the conspiracy to face prosecution. Prosecutors had accused him of masterminding, ordering, and funding the assassination of the 53-year-old reporter. Fenech maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, and the jury ultimately delivered a not guilty verdict on both counts.
Following the reading of the verdict, Fenech walked out of the Valletta courtroom into a chaotic scene outside, where hecklers shouted at him as he entered a waiting vehicle. He made no public comments. In accordance with standard Maltese criminal trial procedures, cameras were not permitted inside the courtroom.
Caruana Galizia's sons, who have been central in the public fight for accountability, were present in court to hear the verdict but departed without speaking to reporters. The family later released a statement on Facebook, expressing deep disappointment and asserting that the ruling denied the slain journalist "the justice she deserves." The family's statement read: "Nine years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed. Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost."
Caruana Galizia was killed on October 16, 2017, when a car bomb was detonated while she was driving near her home. As a prominent anti-corruption journalist, she had reported extensively on political and business misconduct on the Mediterranean island. Her investigations frequently targeted figures within the inner circle of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, accusing them of holding offshore companies exposed in the Panama Papers leak. She also investigated opposition figures and business executives, and was facing more than 40 libel lawsuits at the time of her death.
The fallout from her murder profoundly shook the European Union's smallest member state. Fenech, who was linked to a consortium that secured a controversial government contract to construct a power station, was arrested in 2019 while attempting to sail away from Malta on his yacht. His apprehension triggered widespread public demonstrations that ultimately forced Prime Minister Muscat to resign. In 2021, an independent inquiry concluded that the Maltese state bore responsibility for the assassination because it had allowed a "culture of impunity" to spread from the highest levels of government.
While Fenech was acquitted, five other individuals have been convicted or implicated in the assassination plot. In 2022, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio pleaded guilty to executing the bombing and were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. In 2025, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius received life sentences—the maximum penalty under Maltese law—after being convicted of complicity for supplying the explosive device. Vincent Muscat pleaded guilty in 2021 for his involvement and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Meanwhile, Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver who confessed to acting as a middleman, was granted a presidential pardon in 2019 in exchange for providing crucial testimony.
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Md. Kazi Bijoy is a dedicated tech enthusiast and content creator with a passion for digital innovation. With years of experience in the tech industry, he specializes in breaking down complex topics into easy-to-understand guides. When he isn’t writing, he explores the latest gadgets and researches emerging trends in the digital world.