Nine Years Later: Malta Businessman Yorgen Fenech Finally Stands Trial for Daphne Caruana Galizia's Murder

Yorgen Fenech

Nearly nine years after a car bomb killed investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia outside her home, the man accused of ordering her assassination finally stood trial this week. Yorgen Fenech, a 44-year-old Maltese tycoon and heir to the Tumas Group's property, gaming, hospitality and Leisure Empire, appeared before Malta's Criminal Court in Valletta on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, facing charges of complicity in murder and criminal association. He denies all wrongdoing and faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Uncertain Until the Last Day
The trial's start was in doubt until the eve of proceedings. In a petition filed with Malta's Constitutional Court on June 25, 2026, Fenech argued his right to a fair trial had been violated. The court agreed to examine the claim but ultimately rejected his bid to suspend the trial, clearing the way for it to open as scheduled before a panel of jurors. The proceedings, expected to last several weeks, opened in the presence of Caruana Galizia's husband, three sons, two sisters, and members of both the Maltese and international press, including a representative from Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The Killing That Shook Malta
Caruana Galizia, 53, was killed on October 16, 2017, when a remotely detonated bomb hidden beneath her car seat exploded as she drove away from her home in Bidnija. Described by admirers as a "one-woman WikiLeaks," she had spent years exposing corruption linking Malta's political and business elites, drawing on revelations from the Panama Papers among other investigations. At the time of her death, she was investigating a controversial power station deal tied to Fenech, and prosecutors say Fenech had grown increasingly anxious that she was about to publish a compromising story involving his uncle.

Her assassination triggered a political earthquake in the European Union's smallest member state, contributing to the January 2020 resignation of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat amid mass protests over perceived efforts to shield allies from investigation. A two-year public inquiry, published in July 2021, went further still: its 437-page report, compiled by a panel of former judges, concluded the Maltese state should "shoulder responsibility" for the murder, finding it had created a pervasive "atmosphere of impunity" and subjected Caruana Galizia to sustained political attacks that fostered a "favorable climate" for her killing.

The Case Against Fenech
Prosecutors allege Fenech summoned a former taxi driver, Melvin Theuma, to a meeting at a Portomaso restaurant and asked him to find someone willing to carry out the killing, later directing Theuma toward George Degiorgio in April 2017. The agreed price, according to the indictment, was €150,000 — €30,000 upfront and €120,000 on completion. Theuma, who orchestrated the logistics of the murder, was ultimately granted a presidential pardon in exchange for naming those responsible.

Fenech was arrested in November 2019 aboard his yacht off Malta, in what prosecutors describe as an attempted escape. He was released on bail in February 2025 reportedly Malta's largest-ever bail, at €80,000 with a €120,000 guarantee under strict conditions, including severe restrictions on media coverage of the case that RSF has condemned and that remain under challenge before the Constitutional Court.

Five Convictions Already Secured
Fenech is the last of seven men to face justice over the murder. Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, who planted and detonated the bomb, are serving 40-year sentences after pleading guilty; a third accomplice, Vince Muscat, received a reduced 15-year sentence for his role in planning and carrying out the killing. In June 2025, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were convicted of supplying the explosives and sentenced to life in prison a verdict Malta's appeals court upheld in January 2026. Malta's Attorney General, Victor Buttigieg, has called for a life sentence on the murder charge against Fenech and 20 to 30 years on the criminal association charge.

A Test for Press Freedom
For press freedom advocates, the trial carries weight well beyond Malta's shores. RSF has called it a moment that "revives hope that justice will finally be served" for a crime committed nearly nine years ago. Yet Malta's own press freedom standing remains fragile the country ranks 67th out of 180 in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index, a reminder that convicting the men who carried out an assassination is not the same as fixing the conditions that allowed it to happen.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

[email protected]
+233-555-275-880
Sources and References
ICIJ "Businessman accused of masterminding Caruana Galizia assassination stands trial in Malta" https://www.icij.org/news/2026/07/businessman-accused-of-masterminding-caruana-galizia-assassination-stands-trial-in-malta/

Reuters (via WHBL) “Wealthy businessman goes on trial over murder of Maltese journalist" https://whbl.com/2026/07/01/wealthy-businessman-goes-on-trial-over-murder-of-maltese-journalist/

Euronews "Trial begins for suspected mastermind behind killing of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia" https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/07/01/trial-begins-for-suspected-mastermind-behind-killing-of-maltese-journalist-daphne-caruana-

RSF "Malta: Trial opens for alleged mastermind behind assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, reviving hope for justice" https://rsf.org/en/malta-trial-opens-alleged-mastermind-behind-assassination-journalist-daphne-caruana-galizia

France 24 "Businessman goes on trial for murder of Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia" https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260701-businessman-goes-on-trial-for-ordering-murder-of-maltese-anti-corruption-journalist

Committee to Protect Journalists "Malta rejects appeal of bomb suppliers in Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder" https://cpj.org/2026/01/malta-rejects-appeal-of-bomb-suppliers-in-daphne-caruana-galizias-murder/