Malta Court Acquits Businessman Yorgen Fenech in Journalist Caruana Galizia Murder Case

A court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The verdict was delivered on Wednesday after a jury trial, where Fenech faced charges of complicity to murder and criminal association to commit murder. If convicted, he could have faced life in prison. The jury cleared him of both counts by an 8-1 margin after eight hours of deliberation. Caruana Galizia's family expressed their disappointment in a statement, highlighting ongoing institutional failures that they believe contributed to her murder. They stated, "Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne’s life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost." Following the verdict, Fenech's family members were seen celebrating in the courtroom. Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017, an event that drew significant attention to issues of corruption in Malta and prompted political turmoil. Prosecutors alleged that Fenech wanted Caruana Galizia killed due to her impending revelations about him. Fenech denied the accusations and suggested that his former friend Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, was involved. Muscat resigned in January 2020 amid the political fallout from the assassination, although he was never linked to the murder. An independent inquiry in 2021 determined that Maltese officials had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats prior to her death.