Malta businessman acquitted of plotting journalist Caruana Galizia murder

What the report says

A Maltese court has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of accusations that he masterminded the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, ending a jury trial in Valletta, Malta, according to Al Jazeera reporting based on AFP and Reuters. The 44-year-old had faced charges of complicity to murder and criminal association to commit murder over the killing of the prominent anti-corruption reporter.

The jury cleared Fenech by an 8-1 vote after about eight hours of deliberation. He had faced the possibility of a life sentence if convicted. Caruana Galizia’s relatives were reported to have wept in court, while members of Fenech’s family reacted with celebration.

Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017 in an attack that shocked Europe and triggered a major political crisis in Malta. She was widely known for exposing corruption and alleged ties between business and political figures on the island. Prosecutors said Fenech sought her death because she was preparing to publish damaging information about him, while his lawyers rejected the allegations and pointed to other figures, including former government chief of staff Keith Schembri, who has denied involvement.

The case remains significant because it has continued to highlight questions about Malta’s institutions and whether authorities failed to protect the journalist before her death. A 2021 independent inquiry found state failures in that regard, and Caruana Galizia’s family said lasting justice would require preventing similar failures in the future.