In a verdict that reverberated across the European Union, a Maltese jury on Wednesday cleared businessman Yorgen Fenech of all charges related to the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The decision, delivered in a Valletta courtroom, brings to a close the criminal proceedings against the six individuals accused in a killing that exposed deep-seated impunity in the bloc's smallest member state.
Fenech, a prominent figure in Malta's business elite, had been indicted in 2021 on charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy. Prosecutors alleged that he masterminded the murder, ordering and financing the plot that ended Caruana Galizia's life on 16 October 2017, when a car bomb detonated near her home in Bidnija. The journalist, 53 at the time, had spent years investigating suspected corruption among political and business leaders, including members of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's inner circle, whom she linked to offshore companies revealed in the Panama Papers.
Fenech pleaded not guilty throughout the trial. After the jury returned its verdict, he walked out of the courtroom into a chaotic scene, with hecklers shouting as he entered a waiting car. He made no comment to reporters. The acquittal marks a stark contrast to the convictions of other defendants in the case.
A case that shook the nation
Caruana Galizia's murder triggered mass protests across Malta, culminating in the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in 2020. An independent inquiry, published in 2021, concluded that the Maltese state bore responsibility for the assassination, citing a culture of impunity that reached the highest levels of government. The inquiry's findings were a damning indictment of the country's institutions, which critics say failed to protect a journalist who had faced more than 40 libel lawsuits at the time of her death.
The case also drew international attention, with the European Parliament and press freedom organisations condemning the killing and urging Malta to ensure justice. The acquittal of Fenech, who was arrested in 2019 while attempting to flee Malta on his yacht, is likely to reignite debates about the rule of law in the Mediterranean island nation.
Other convictions in the plot
While Fenech has been cleared, several others have been held accountable. In 2022, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio pleaded guilty to carrying out the murder and were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. In 2025, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius received life sentences for complicity, having been convicted of supplying the bomb used in the attack. Vincent Muscat, another accomplice, was sentenced to 15 years in 2021 after pleading guilty. Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver who admitted acting as a middleman, was granted a presidential pardon in 2019 in exchange for his testimony.
The verdict has been met with disappointment by Caruana Galizia's family, who have long campaigned for accountability. In a statement posted on Facebook, they said the decision denied the journalist the justice she deserved. “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,” the statement read. “Our country failed to protect Daphne. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost.”
The case has broader implications for press freedom in Europe. Journalists across the continent have faced increasing threats, and the European Union has sought to strengthen protections through initiatives such as the Media Freedom Act. The acquittal may fuel concerns that Malta has not fully addressed the systemic issues highlighted by the inquiry.
As the island nation grapples with the aftermath of the verdict, questions remain about whether the full truth of the assassination will ever be known. For now, the legal chapter has closed, but the legacy of Daphne Caruana Galizia's work and the fight for justice continue.
