Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, was acquitted on all charges related to the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, leaving Malta and the European Union grappling with serious questions about justice, press freedom, and corruption within the small Mediterranean country. The verdict, delivered in Valletta’s courts of justice after nearly nine years of investigation and a two-month trial, has been met with shock and dismay by Caruana Galizia’s family, legal observers, and political figures.
Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bombing while investigating corruption tied to Malta’s political elite, including allegations stemming from the Panama Papers. Fenech was accused of financing the murder plot through payments to the hitmen but denied ordering the killing. Although he admitted to funneling €450,000 to the hired assassins, Fenech claimed this was unrelated to initiating the murder and suggested the prime minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was involved at a higher level. The jury, however, acquitted him after eight hours of deliberations, with an eight-to-one majority convicting him of no wrongdoing.
The trial uncovered a complex network involving government officials and criminal actors. Testimony revealed that Fenech was aware of the murder plan beforehand and attempted to flee Malta on his yacht before being arrested in November 2019. Key witnesses, including taxi driver Melvin Theuma, who helped coordinate the killing in exchange for a pardon, implicated Fenech, presenting secret recordings of conversations with him discussing the assassination.
Despite these suspicions and evidence, the prosecution faced numerous challenges. Allegations arose regarding interference in the investigation, such as the Maltese police chief’s unauthorized contact with associated suspects and claims that Schembri leaked case details to Fenech. The defense argued the investigation was flawed and incomplete, citing restricted searches and inconsistent procedures. These factors likely affected the jury’s confidence in the prosecution’s case.
The verdict has sparked widespread outrage in Malta. Family members of Caruana Galizia expressed their heartbreak and disbelief, with her eldest son, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matthew Caruana Galizia, describing the outcome as nonsensical. Police officers and journalists involved also conveyed deep frustration and confusion. Protests and calls for accountability have intensified, with concerns growing over the erosion of rule of law and democratic norms in Malta.
Roberta Metsola, the Maltese president of the European Parliament and a vocal advocate for justice in the case, condemned the acquittal while urging continued efforts to identify those ultimately responsible. She called the decision a setback but emphasized its potential to unite public demand for reforms and accountability. Metsola highlighted the links exposed during the trial between political figures and criminal networks, underscoring the need for institutional change.
Meanwhile, the Caruana Galizia family is pursuing civil legal action against Fenech and others and intends to file a human rights complaint against the Maltese government. European Commission officials have remained largely silent following the verdict, though the case amplifies ongoing concerns about Malta’s governance and judicial independence.
Nine years after her death, the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia remains officially unsolved, with Malta’s justice system facing intense scrutiny as it confronts the challenge of delivering closure in a case emblematic of broader struggles against corruption, impunity, and press freedom within the European Union.