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🇷🇸 Serbia /Crime & Justice

Sabotage, information leaks and political ties: The trial over Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of ordering investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder after a trial lasting nearly seven years.
  • The verdict leaves the identity of the alleged person who commissioned the 2017 car-bomb killing unresolved, while the journalist’s family called the ruling a denial of justice.
  • The trial heard testimony about alleged efforts to obstruct and sabotage the investigation, prompting renewed calls for journalist protection and anti-corruption measures.

Cheers and gasps filled courtroom 22 at Valletta’s Palace of Justice when a jury acquitted Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech of ordering Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder. He had faced a possible life sentence. After nearly seven years spent alternately in detention and on bail, the 44-year-old heir to one of Malta’s largest fortunes can return to his privileged life.

Fenech had been charged with complicity in intentional homicide and with forming an association to commit a crime. The jury rejected both charges by an eight-to-one majority. During his testimony, he was categorical: “I have never ordered the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, or anyone else. I had no role in her murder.”

I have never ordered the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, or anyone else. I had no role in her murder.

· Yorgen FenechFenech denied ordering the killing during his testimony.

Caruana Galizia’s reporting targeted numerous powerful figures, including Fenech and politicians close to him. Her investigations, followed by her death in a car-bomb explosion in October 2017, eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and several members of his government.

We believe journalism is the backbone of democracy.

· Alex BorgMalta’s opposition leader called for stronger protection for journalists and action against corruption.

Three alleged hired killers were arrested within weeks. Two received life sentences after admitting to the murder, while a third received a reduced 15-year sentence in exchange for testimony against accomplices. The search for the person who hired them must now begin again, with the identity of the alleged mastermind still unresolved.

The journalist’s family described the verdict as “a denial of justice.” The state prosecutor is considering an appeal and a retrial, although prospects may be limited by the jury’s decision. Opposition leader Alex Borg called for parliament to end its summer recess and urged stronger protection for journalists and tougher action against corruption. “We believe journalism is the backbone of democracy,” he told The Guardian, calling the failure to identify those responsible a stain on the Labour government, which has been in power since 2013.

A denial of justice.

· Daphne Caruana Galizia’s familyThe family’s description of the acquittal.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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