A Maltese jury on Wednesday found businessman Yorgen Fenech not guilty of masterminding the 2017 car bombing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, one of Malta's wealthiest individuals, was indicted in 2021 on charges of complicity and criminal conspiracy, with prosecutors alleging he ordered and paid for the assassination.
The jury delivered an 8-1 verdict clearing Fenech of both counts. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Outside the Valletta courtroom, Fenech was met with jeers, and the opposition Nationalist Party organized a demonstration calling for justice.
Caruana Galizia, 53, was killed on October 16, 2017, when a car bomb detonated as she drove near her home. Her killing sent shockwaves across Europe, prompting protests that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and highlighted a culture of impunity in Malta. An independent inquiry in 2021 concluded that the Maltese state bore responsibility for the assassination due to systemic failures.
Fenech was the last of several individuals charged in connection with the plot to be prosecuted. Earlier convictions include George and Alfred Degiorgio, who pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the bombing and were sentenced to 40 years in prison. In 2025, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were convicted of supplying the bomb and sentenced to life in prison. Vincent Muscat pleaded guilty in 2021 and received a 15-year sentence.
Melvin Theuma, a self-confessed middleman, was granted a presidential pardon in 2019 in exchange for his testimony. A key prosecution witness, Theuma's testimony was reportedly not fully believed by the jury, according to one of Fenech's lawyers.
Caruana Galizia had extensively investigated suspected corruption within Malta's political and business circles. Her reporting targeted individuals in then-Prime Minister Muscat's inner circle, whom she accused of having offshore companies, and also examined opposition figures and business leaders. At the time of her death, she was facing over 40 libel suits.
Fenech's arrest in November 2019, as he attempted to leave Malta on his yacht, triggered widespread protests that ultimately led to Muscat's resignation. Fenech was involved in a consortium that secured a controversial government contract to build a power station.
The family of Daphne Caruana Galizia expressed their disappointment with the verdict, stating that it denied her the justice she deserved and that institutional failures enabling her murder remained unaddressed. The opposition Nationalist Party, while respecting the verdict, also called for accountability regarding who ordered the assassination.
The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that it would continue to seek justice for Caruana Galizia and accountability for all those involved in her murder.