Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech faces verdict this week in journalist murder case
The jury trial of Yorgen Fenech, accused of orchestrating the 2017 car-bomb killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, entered its closing stage, with a verdict expected within days.
The high-profile murder trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech reached its final stage on Monday as the presiding judge delivered closing remarks. Fenech, 44, stands accused of planning and financing the October 2017 car-bomb assassination of anti-corruption reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, a case that sparked a political crisis in Malta. State witness Melvin Theuma testified that Fenech ordered the hit and paid the bombers, while the defence counsel Charles Mercieca suggested that former chief of staff Keith Schembri was the true mastermind.
Former prime minister Joseph Muscat, whose administration was under scrutiny after the murder, has not been implicated. Prosecutor Anthony Vella described Fenech as having “blood on his hands.” If convicted, Fenech could receive a life sentence for complicity to murder or up to 18 years for criminal association. A verdict is expected before the week ends.
Why it matters
The outcome will determine accountability for a high-profile political murder that reshaped Malta’s governance.
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