Spektakulärer Fall: Freispruch nach Mord an Journalistin in Malta

Nine years after the bombing murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta, businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of orchestrating her murder. A jury in Valletta unanimously acquitted the 44-year-old entrepreneur, finding him not guilty of both aiding the murder and the criminal conspiracy. The jury's verdict was 8 to 1.

The panel had withdrawn after their deliberations and found Fenech, one of Malta's wealthiest men. Caruana Galizia, Malta's most prominent investigative journalist, was killed in her car near her home on October 16, 2017. The 53-year-old was known for her reporting on corruption in politics and business. Three contractors - including two brothers - had already pleaded guilty to the murder and are serving sentences of 15 to 40 years.

Two others who supplied the bomb received life sentences. Fenech was arrested in November 2019 after leaving a marina in his yacht. The prosecution relied on evidence from his chauffeur, Melvin Theuma, who admitted to being a mediator in the murder and received a pardon in exchange. Fenech's arrest and suspicion of high-ranking government involvement sparked nationwide protests that forced then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign.

Caruana Galizia was investigating Fenech's businesses, particularly the Malta Electricity Consortium, when she was killed. Fenech was accused of giving 150,000 euros to Theuma and claimed he only knew about the murder plans after the fact. He blamed his former friend Keith Schembri, who was head of staff for then-Prime Minister Muscat at the time.

The journalist's family was disappointed by Fenech's acquittal, stating that today should have been hers. They also noted the ongoing institutional failures that allowed her murder to occur.