Yorgen Fenech denies ordering the murder of Malta journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.Image: EPA
Eight years after the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Yorgen Fenech, one of Malta’s wealthiest businessmen, is on trial.
July 2, 2026, 8:01 p.mJuly 2, 2026, 8:01 p.m
Caruana Galizia died after a bomb planted in her car was detonated. The 44-year-old Fenech, who denies the allegations, is said to have paid 150,000 euros (around 138,000 francs) for the contract murder of the journalist.
Fenech, who was arrested seven years ago, is the last of seven people involved to face charges for the journalist’s murder.
The most important points of the case at a glance:
What happened?
On October 16, 2017, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb. This was hidden in a child’s shoe box and placed under her driver’s seat. The two men who carried out the attack broke into the journalist’s car the night before after watching her for weeks.
Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s car wreck in Mosta, Malta.Image: AP/AP
Businessman Yorgen Fenech is said to have ordered the attack. He hired Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver, to find someone to murder Caruana Galizia. He was prepared to pay 150,000 euros and pushed for the murder to be carried out.
Theuma then commissioned the Degiorgio brothers to carry out the murder. A few days after the attack, the two picked up the money from Theuma’s garage.
Shortly afterwards, on December 4, 2017, the brothers and their accomplice Vincent Muscat were arrested following a raid on their warehouse.
Melwin Theuma himself was arrested on November 14, 2019. He was clutching an ice cream box that contained USB sticks with copies of conversations with Yorgen Fenech. He was then arrested and released five years later in February 2025 under strict bail conditions.
Flowers and a candle in front of a portrait of murdered investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Valletta, Malta.Image: AP/AP
Why was the murder commissioned?
Daphne Caruana Galizia was a critic of the Maltese government, which exposed corruption networks in Malta and overseas. Fenech is said to have feared the publication of a story about himself and therefore ordered the murder.
What were the reactions?
Her murder was followed by international outrage and protests in Malta against then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. He was accused of wanting to protect friends and allies during the investigation. Muscat finally resigned in January 2020.
Thousands protested outside a courthouse in Malta, demanding the resignation of Joseph Muscat.Image: AP
What happened to the others involved?
Melvin Theuma has been living in a witness protection program since 2019. He was pardoned based on testimony relevant to the trial.
Already in 2022, the brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio were sentenced to 40 years in prison for carrying out the murder of the journalist.
Robert Agius and Jamie Vella received life sentences in 2025 for supplying the bomb, while their convicted colleague, Vincent Muscat, secured a reduced sentence of 15 years through testimony and a guilty plea to all charges.
What’s next?
Fenech’s lawyers question the interpretations of the recordings and claim that Theuma’s statement contains half-truths.
In the indictment, Fenech is repeatedly named as the initiator of the assassination attempt on Caruana Galizia. He is said to have planned the murder and paid others to carry it out. Prosecutors are demanding a life sentence for the murder charge and 20 to 30 years in prison for criminal association.