Maltese tycoon acquitted of orchestrating murder of renowned journalist

A Maltese businessman has been cleared of charges related to the killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Yorgen Fenech, 44, faced accusations of complicity in her murder and of participating in a criminal association to carry out the act. He denied all allegations. In 2022, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio each received 40‑year prison sentences for their roles in the killing. Caruana Galizia, an outspoken critic of Maltese authorities, died in a car bomb attack in October 2017. At the time, speculation linked senior government figures to the crime. After eight hours of deliberation, a jury returned an 8‑1 verdict acquitting Fenech on the counts presented, according to Reuters. In the packed courtroom in Valletta, Fenech’s relatives shouted with joy, while members of Caruana Galizia’s family wept. The journalist’s relatives issued a statement that read: “Nine years aft Daphne's brutal assassination, the organization failures that enabled her execution stay unaddressed and unreformed,” her household said in a statement reported by local media. They added: “Lasting justness means nary idiosyncratic should ever look the aforesaid risks again. Our state failed to support Daphne's life. It owes it to her to forestall different lives being lost.” Caruana Galizia achieved international recognition for her exposés on corruption, money laundering and organized crime, which she published on her blog Running Commentary. She played a prominent role in the 2016 Panama Papers investigation, a leak of confidential documents from a Panamanian law firm that revealed offshore structures and triggered corruption allegations against top Maltese officials. Her assassination provoked widespread public outrage and street protests across Malta. She was 53 years old.