World News
Maltese jury acquits businessman Yorgen Fenech in 2017 killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
Yorgen Fenech was cleared of complicity and conspiracy charges in the final trial stemming from the car bomb assassination.
The short version
- A jury in Malta acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech on charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy regarding the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
- Fenech was the final defendant of six individuals prosecuted in connection with the assassination.
- Caruana Galizia's family condemned the verdict, stating it denied her justice and pointed to unaddressed institutional failures.
- The legal proceedings conclude criminal trials against the primary suspects, though family members continue to urge institutional reforms.
Key facts
- A Maltese jury found businessman Yorgen Fenech not guilty of complicity and criminal conspiracy in the 2017 car bomb killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.[Associated Press]
- Prosecutors had alleged that Fenech orchestrated, commissioned, and financed the fatal car bombing, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.[Associated Press]
- Fenech's trial was the last among six individuals charged over the murder plot.[Associated Press]
- Caruana Galizia was killed at age 53 on October 16, 2017, after investigating government and business corruption in Malta.[Associated Press]
- Other individuals implicated in the plot include George and Alfred Degiorgio, who received 40-year sentences; Jamie Vella and Robert Agius, who received life sentences; Vincent Muscat, who received 15 years; and Melvin Theuma, who was granted a presidential pardon for his testimony.[Associated Press]
- Fenech's 2019 arrest previously triggered major public demonstrations that led to the resignation of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unstated whether prosecutors or relevant authorities have any remaining legal avenues or investigations following Fenech's acquittal.[Associated Press]