Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech went on trial Wednesday in Valletta, accused of ordering the 2017 car-bomb murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
A jury was sworn in at the courts of justice in the capital, marking the final prosecution in a case that has spanned over nine years since the initial planning of the attack.
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Fenech, heir to a major property empire, faces charges of complicity in voluntary homicide and criminal association.
He denies both charges, while the attorney general has requested a life sentence.
Background of the Case
Caruana Galizia was a prominent blogger and columnist whose anti-corruption investigations targeted top government figures. A subsequent public inquiry blamed the state for creating an atmosphere of impunity.
The journalist died at age 53 on October 17, 2017, when a bomb hidden beneath her driver's seat detonated shortly after she left her home in Bidnija.
Prosecutors say the bombers were paid €150,000 to carry out the killing.
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Five other men have already been convicted in connection with the murder.
Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio received 40-year sentences, while bomb suppliers Robert Agius and Jamie Vella received life sentences in June 2025.
The prosecution relies heavily on recorded conversations from taxi driver Melvin Theuma, who secured a presidential pardon in November 2019 after claiming Fenech ordered the assassination.
Fenech was apprehended by the Maltese military in November 2019 while attempting to flee on his yacht, triggering a political crisis that forced Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign.
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After years in custody, Fenech secured bail under strict conditions in February 2025 with an €80,000 deposit and a €120,000 personal guarantee, plus family assets as security.
