Malta's attorney general plans to challenge businessman’s acquittal in journalist murder case

In Malta, the attorney general is preparing to appeal the recent jury verdict that acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of complicity in the 2017 car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The jury’s 8-1 decision left no one legally accountable for ordering the killing, although five individuals have been sentenced for executing the attack. Prosecutors argue that Fenech commissioned the murder, and the appeal must be lodged within 15 working days on grounds of a serious trial irregularity or a manifest legal error.

Matthew Caruana Galizia, the victim’s son, publicly supported the appeal, calling it essential to uphold the rule of law. If accepted, the Court of Criminal Appeal could order a retrial, extending one of Europe’s most closely watched murder investigations. The attorney general’s office has not issued an official statement, and the precise legal arguments for the appeal remain undisclosed.