Story perspectives

Court Acquits Yorgen Fenech in Daphne Caruana Galizia Murder

9/4/2026

Summary

Fenech Acquitted

Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of complicity and criminal association in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder.
A nine-member jury voted 8-1 after about eight hours of deliberation.
The verdict ended a 55-day trial that began on July 1 in Valletta’s Law Courts.
Prosecutors said they will appeal the acquittal though appeals are limited to exceptional points of law.

Summary

Fenech Bomb Funding

The 2021 public inquiry found the Maltese state fostered impunity that enabled the murder.
Prosecutors allege businessman Fenech paid about €150,000 to bomb makers via middleman Melvin Theuma.
The murder forced Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign in 2020 after mass protests.
Five people have been convicted for supplying explosives or detonating the car bomb.
Many of the inquiry’s recommended reforms remain unimplemented as of 2026.

History

Historical Context

The 1979 assassination of Italian journalist Mino Pecorelli, whose investigative columns exposed political corruption, culminated in former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti’s 1999 conviction. The trial, overseen by the Palermo Court, involved 12 witnesses and resulted in a €2.5 million fine for the media conglomerate. Similarly, Malta’s 2026 acquittal of businessman Yorgen Fenech for the 2017 Daphne Caruana Galizia killing revives concerns over elite impunity and stalled reforms. The Pecorelli case prompted Italy to enact stricter press-protection laws in 2000, suggesting Malta may need comparable legislation to safeguard journalists.

1 of 3

Fenech Acquitted

Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of complicity and criminal association in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder.
A nine-member jury voted 8-1 after about eight hours of deliberation.
The verdict ended a 55-day trial that began on July 1 in Valletta’s Law Courts.
Prosecutors said they will appeal the acquittal though appeals are limited to exceptional points of law.

1 / 3