Yorgen Fenech acquitted of charges linked to Daphne Caruana Galizia murder

Valletta, Malta. Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted on Wednesday of charges of complicity to murder and criminal association to commit murder in connection with the 2017 killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech, 44, was cleared of both counts by an 8-1 jury verdict after eight hours of deliberations, ending a two-month trial.

Trial verdict

Fenech had been accused of commissioning Caruana Galizia’s murder. If convicted, he could have faced up to life imprisonment.

Family members of Fenech screamed with delight following the verdict, while relatives of Caruana Galizia wept in the packed Valletta courtroom.

Fenech did not comment as he left the court under heavy police escort, while a crowd shouted insults at him.

Family statement

Caruana Galizia’s family said that institutional failures connected to her killing remained unaddressed.

“Nine years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed,” the family said in a statement.

“Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne’s life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost.”

Previous convictions

Caruana Galizia was killed by a bomb in October 2017, a murder that shocked Europe, triggered a political crisis in Malta and drew international attention to the country’s police and judiciary.

Fenech, heir to a property empire including hotels and casinos, was arrested in 2019.

Three men have been convicted of carrying out the killing, while two others were convicted of supplying the bomb in earlier trials. They are serving lengthy prison sentences.

Giannella de Marco, a defence lawyer for Fenech, said she was pleased that justice had prevailed.