Maltese court acquits Yorgen Fenech in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial
Consensus Summary
A Maltese court acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech, 44, of masterminding the 2017 car bombing murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, aged 53. The trial, lasting two months, followed years of political fallout, including the resignation of then-prime minister Joseph Muscat in January 2020. While five individuals have been convicted for supplying explosives or carrying out the killing, including Robert Agius and Jamie Vella sentenced to life in prison in June 2025, Fenech’s acquittal leaves questions unanswered. Both sources agree the state’s failure to protect Caruana Galizia and a 2021 inquiry report highlighted systemic impunity, though ABC provides additional details on the 437-page judicial findings and Fenech’s 2019 arrest on his yacht. The Guardian emphasizes the defense’s claims that Muscat’s former chief of staff, Keith Schembri, may have ordered the killing, while ABC focuses on the broader political and judicial context.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in October 2017 at age 53
- Yorgen Fenech, 44, was acquitted of involvement in Caruana Galizia’s murder
- Five people have been convicted for supplying explosives or carrying out the murder
- Joseph Muscat, then prime minister of the EU’s smallest member state, was forced out of office due to the scandal
- A two-year public inquiry published in July 2021 found the state created an atmosphere of impunity for the murder
- The trial lasted two months
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Prosecutors alleged Fenech paid €150,000 via a middleman to have Caruana Galizia killed
- The jury acquitted Fenech by an eight-to-one majority
- Defense argued the order to kill came from Muscat’s former chief of staff, Keith Schembri
- Fenech testified he acted as a messenger between Schembri and the middleman, Melvin Theuma, and claimed Theuma blackmailed him
- Fenech was arrested on his yacht in 2019 after a middleman was offered a pardon to identify those involved
- Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were convicted in June 2025 of supplying the bomb and sentenced to life in prison
- Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, along with Vince Muscat, are serving prison sentences for carrying out the murder
- A 2021 judicial report found politicians’ personal attacks on Caruana Galizia created a 'favourable climate' for her assassination
- The 437-page 2021 report stated there was 'convincing evidence' her killers knew they would be protected by 'persons in the highest state positions'
- Muscat resigned in January 2020 amid mass protests
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The Guardian states the trial verdict was announced nearly nine years after Caruana Galizia’s death, while ABC says it was almost 10 years ago
- The Guardian does not mention a 2021 judicial report or the 437-page inquiry, while ABC details its findings extensively
Source Articles
Maltese tycoon found not guilty of involvement in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder
Yorgen Fenech cleared on both charges he faced over 2017 killing of journalist that prompted global outrage One of Malta’s richest men has been found not guilty of involvement in the murder of the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The verdict, which is expected to be appealed against by the prosecution, will come as a blow not only to the victim’s family, but to the politicians and campaigners who regard the case as a landmark action in the fight to protect press freedom in Euro
Maltese court clears tycoon of masterminding journalist's murder
The killing of Caruana Galizia in October 2017 shocked Europe and set off a political firestorm in Malta as well as focusing international attention on its police and judiciary.
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