Enraged crowds chanting “Murderer!” and “Mafia!” confronted Yorgen Fenech as he exited the courthouse in Valletta on Wednesday evening. The 44-year-old businessman, flanked by security guards, walked free just moments after a jury acquitted him of conspiring to commit murder in the high-profile killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.<\/p>\n
The verdict has drawn sharp condemnation from Galizia\u2019s family. Her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, labeled the jury\u2019s decision “obscene” and a “terrible mistake” that could haunt the nation permanently. In a subsequent Facebook post, he argued that the acquittal ignored overwhelming evidence, logic, and truth.<\/p>\n
Almost nine years after the car bomb assassination on October 16, 2017, the individual who ordered the hit remains legally unidentified. While three men who built and detonated the device have already been convicted, questions persist regarding who commissioned the crime.<\/p>\n
Fenech, once considered the central figure in the investigation, was arrested in a dramatic operation in November 2019 when his yacht was intercepted by military patrols. His detention and allegations of political protectionism triggered nationwide protests, contributing to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in January 2020. Fenech remained in custody for over five years before being released on strict bail conditions in early 2025.<\/p>\n
The trial, which commenced this summer, hinged largely on the testimony of Melvin Theuma, who confessed to acting as a middleman and identified Fenech as the client. Theuma was granted a pardon in exchange for his cooperation. However, the defense successfully challenged Theuma\u2019s credibility, pointing to contradictions and prior false statements.<\/p>\n
Fenech\u2019s legal team also argued that investigators failed to adequately pursue leads connecting Keith Schembri, Muscat\u2019s former chief of staff, to the murder. Schembri has denied any involvement and was not charged in this case.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors maintained that Fenech had a motive to silence Galizia, who had been investigating his company, 17 Black, and the ElectroGas energy consortium for alleged corruption. Yet, they acknowledged she had not been on the verge of publishing material that would have directly threatened him.<\/p>\n
While no indications of trial manipulation have emerged, critics argue that Malta has not done enough to address the institutional failures that enabled the murder. A 2021 inquiry identified an “atmosphere of impunity” as a key factor, yet comprehensive media reforms remain pending. Although a bill was introduced in March 2026, it was not passed before parliamentary elections in May.<\/p>\n
The European Commission\u2019s latest Rule of Law Report notes limited progress, stating that core recommendations from the Caruana Galizia inquiry remain unfulfilled despite some protective measures for journalists. Conversely, the Maltese government highlights advancements in judicial and anti-corruption frameworks.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation reported that 46% of homicide cases filed between 2010 and 2020 remained unresolved as of mid-2025, citing slow judicial processes as a structural impediment to justice.<\/p>\n
Following the acquittal, Judge Edwina Grima ordered the transfer of trial evidence to the chief of police to determine if further criminal proceedings are warranted. Former PM Muscat confirmed that prosecutors are conducting additional investigations. The Institute of Maltese Journalists has urged authorities to explore all leads, including those involving former senior politicians, insisting that while the acquittal must be respected, the case is far from closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of ordering Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder, leaving her family and the public demanding answers about who contracted the killing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1466,67,1465,57,1468,10,1467],"class_list":["post-616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-daphne-caruana-galizia","tag-germany","tag-malta","tag-murder-trial","tag-press-freedom","tag-world","tag-yorgen-fenech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yovao.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}