Yorgen Fenech, the businessman accused of ordering the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, went on trial in Valletta on Wednesday, more than nine years after her death in a car-bomb attack that reverberated across Europe. Fenech, heir to a property empire worth hundreds of millions of euros, is the last of seven men charged in connection with the killing to face trial.
Charges and Potential Sentence
Fenech faces two charges: complicity in the voluntary homicide of Caruana Galizia, and criminal association with intent to commit a crime in Malta. He has denied both charges. The attorney general has called for a life sentence on the murder charge and between 20 and 30 years for the criminal association charge. A jury was sworn in on Wednesday morning at the courts of justice in Valletta.
Of the six other men already prosecuted, five were convicted and one secured a presidential pardon in exchange for testimony. Caruana Galizia, 53, died on 17 October 2017 when a bomb placed under the driver's seat of her car exploded as she drove away from her home in Bidnija. The bomb, concealed in a children's shoebox, was allegedly planted by three men who had broken into the vehicle the night before after weeks of surveillance. Prosecutors say the bombers were paid €150,000 (£130,000) for the attack.
Background and Public Inquiry
Caruana Galizia was a prominent journalist, magazine publisher, and blogger whose investigations into government and business figures made her a target of repeated attacks. A subsequent public inquiry, demanded by her family, concluded that the state had allowed 'an atmosphere of impunity' to spread from the highest levels of government, leading to a collapse in the rule of law and creating a 'favourable climate' for her murder.
Her son Matthew Caruana Galizia was the first to arrive at the scene, discovering her remains in the burning wreckage. Three men—brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio and their friend Vincent Muscat—were arrested soon after in a televised raid on a warehouse in Marsa. The investigation then stalled until reporting by Reuters and the Times of Malta revealed that Muscat and a taxi driver, Melvin Theuma, claimed to have been the middleman and offered to testify.
Key Evidence and Arrests
Theuma, who is expected to give evidence at Fenech's trial, claims Fenech ordered and paid for the killing. Theuma was arrested on 14 November 2019, clutching an ice-cream box containing USB drives with copies of covertly recorded conversations with Fenech, which the prosecution relies on. Fenech's team have requested the original recordings and claim Theuma's testimony contains 'half truths' and 'blatant lies.' On the night of Theuma's arrest, his lawyers sent the material to Europol's offices in The Hague for safekeeping.
Then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced on 19 November that Theuma had been offered a presidential pardon and immunity from prosecution in exchange for information. In the early hours of 20 November 2019, Fenech boarded his yacht, Gio, and set to sea from Portomaso marina, a luxury development owned by his family's Tumas Group. The Maltese military intercepted the yacht and forced it back to harbour, where Fenech was arrested. The ensuing political crisis led to Muscat's resignation in December 2019.
Co-accused and Trial Delays
Vincent Muscat pleaded guilty to all charges, including wilful homicide, and received a reduced sentence of 15 years and a presidential pardon after testifying against the Degiorgio brothers. The brothers initially denied charges but changed their pleas to guilty on the first day of their trial in October 2022, reducing their sentences from life to 40 years. Two men accused of supplying the bomb, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, were sentenced to life in June 2025 without parole. Theuma has been living under a witness protection scheme since 2019.
Fenech's legal team have brought repeated challenges, including questioning whether extensive publicity jeopardised his right to a fair trial. Delays meant the state granted him bail in February 2025 under strict conditions, including an €80,000 deposit, a €120,000 personal guarantee, and his aunt's shareholding in Tumas Group, estimated at €50 million, as security. Strict reporting conditions prevented the trial date from being disclosed in advance.
