Businessman accused of ordering journalist's murder paid hitmen's legal fees, court hears

A Maltese businessman accused of ordering the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia allegedly spent more than €400,000 on legal fees for the hitmen convicted in the case, prosecutors revealed in court. Yorgen Fenech, 44, heir to a prominent business family, faces trial for commissioning the 2017 car bombing that killed Caruana Galizia, who had exposed high-level corruption.

During the trial's opening, lead prosecutor Anthony Vella detailed how Fenech purportedly financed the legal defense of the convicted hitmen, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, through a taxi driver named Melvin Theuma. The Degiorgio brothers are serving 40-year sentences for voluntary homicide after pleading guilty to planting the bomb. Prosecutors allege they received €150,000 for the assassination, plus expenses and further sums after their arrest.

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The accused also financed the legal defence of Alfred and George Degiorgio, through their brother, Mario. Theuma gave him over €400,000 and the police will provide testimony on that.

Vella urged the jury to consider Caruana Galizia's personal life, emphasizing her role as a mother, daughter, wife, and sister. "She was a citizen like us, killed because of her work," Vella stated, urging jurors to remember her humanity and dignity. Caruana Galizia, a prominent journalist known for her investigations, was killed in October 2017. Her work had drawn criticism from the ruling party, and public opinion on her legacy remains divided. Her three sons are expected to testify during Fenech's trial.

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Daphne Caruana Galizia was a very active journalist with a strong public profile and many investigations ongoing. They used to describe her as a witch, or ‘just a blogger’. You may agree with what she wrote or not. That is not what matters here. She was a citizen like us, killed because of her work. What matters is that she was a mother, a person, a daughter, a wife, a sister. Daphne never saw her children’s children being born. These crimes cause irreparable harm. A person of flesh and blood, with her aspirations and her dignity. That is what concerns us here.