Malta businessman Yorgen Fenech acquitted of plotting journalist Caruana Galizia murder

September 3, 2026 at 12:06 AM2 min

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A Maltese court acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech, 44, of masterminding the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The jury cleared him of complicity to murder and criminal association by an 8-1 margin after eight hours of deliberation. Caruana Galizia's family wept in the Valletta courtroom, while Fenech's relatives celebrated the verdict.

Key Facts

Yorgen Fenech, 44, was acquitted of complicity to murder and criminal association to commit murder by an 8-1 jury margin after eight hours of deliberation.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in October 2017 at the age of 53.
Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio were jailed for 40 years in 2022 over the killing of Caruana Galizia.
An independent inquiry in 2021 found that Maltese officials had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stepped down in January 2020 due to the political fallout from the assassination.

The Verdict

A court in Valletta acquitted Yorgen Fenech, 44, of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The jury cleared Fenech of complicity to murder and criminal association to commit murder by an 8-1 margin after eight hours of deliberation. Caruana Galizia's family wept in the packed courtroom, while Fenech's family members celebrated the decision. If convicted, Fenech could have faced life in prison.

The Murder and Its Fallout

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in October 2017 at the age of 53. She had exposed corruption at the highest levels in Malta, earning the nickname "one-woman WikiLeaks". The killing shocked Europe and set off a political firestorm in Malta, focusing international attention on its police and judiciary. Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio were jailed for 40 years in 2022 over the killing. An independent inquiry in 2021 found that Maltese officials had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.

Prosecution and Defence Claims

Prosecutors argued that Fenech wanted Caruana Galizia killed because she was about to reveal information about him. Fenech denied the accusations, and his defence pointed to Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and a target of Caruana Galizia's blogs. Police told the court that Schembri had never been a suspect, and Schembri denied any role in the murder. Muscat, who was never linked to the murder, stepped down in January 2020 due to the political fallout from the assassination. Caruana Galizia's family said in a statement that "the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed."