A Maltese businessman has been cleared of involvement in the journalist’s death, but his trial revealed the challenges faced by those leading the search for her killers. The conclusion of the longest-running murder trial in Maltese history has left a country in turmoil, and a grieving family still searching for answers.
At 7.30pm on Wednesday, gasps and cheers echoed around hall 22 of the courts of justice in Valletta, as a jury pronounced Yorgen Fenech, 44, not guilty of ordering the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech had been facing a life sentence if convicted. Now, after nearly seven years in and out of custody, he is free to return to a gilded life as the heir to one of Malta’s biggest fortunes.
In her reporting, Caruana Galizia had taken aim at many powerful figures, including Fenech and the politicians he was close to. Her revelations, and the fallout from her violent death in a car bombing in October 2017, had ultimately led to the resignation of the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and several members of his government.
Arrests and Sentences
Within weeks of her death, three hitmen accused of planting the bomb were arrested. Two were sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder, while the third received a reduced 15-year sentence in exchange for evidence against his accomplices. After Wednesday’s decision, the long search for whoever was responsible for hiring them must begin again.
The opposition leader, Alex Borg, has demanded the recall of parliament from its summer recess, calling for the government to act to strengthen press protection and anti-corruption measures. “We believe journalism is the backbone of a democracy,” he told the Guardian, describing the failure to find the culprits as a black mark against the Labour government, which has been in power since 2013.
Caruana Galizia’s family described the verdict as “justice denied.” The attorney general is considering whether to appeal for a retrial. The chances of success may be slim: both charges brought against Fenech were dismissed by an 8-1 majority. It had taken nine years, a relentless family campaign, and a determined judge to bring Fenech before a jury. In the end, they took him at his word. During his evidence, he was adamant:
““I never ordered Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, or anyone else’s. I had no role in her murder.”
Challenges in the Investigation
While the identity of the mastermind remains a mystery, the trial revealed the full extent of the challenges faced by those leading the search for Daphne’s killers. Witness after witness spoke of attempts to block and sabotage the murder investigation. As detectives worked to identify all those involved, from the bomb makers to the hitmen to their ultimate client, they heard evidence that the most sensitive details were being leaked. Most disturbingly, the jury was told much of the information was coming from the prime minister’s right-hand man.
Fenech was heard saying in secret recordings that formed a cornerstone of the case against him:
““Don’t worry about me, nobody can touch me.”
The man who made those recordings was a taxi driver, Melvin Theuma, who testified to acting as the middleman between Fenech and the bombers. He was the key prosecution witness, having secured a pardon two years after the murder in return for giving evidence. In July 2020, he was taken to hospital in critical condition after attempting suicide while staying at a safe house, and it took intensive support to get him back in the stand.
