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Fenech acquitted in trial
A Maltese jury acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of ordering the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, delivering a not-guilty verdict by an 8-1 vote in a case that Reuters said had angered the victim's family and drawn criticism from press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.
“acquitted on Wednesday by an 8-1 jury vote”
Reuters reported that prosecutors had alleged Fenech wanted Caruana Galizia dead because she was about to reveal information about him, while Fenech denied the charges and accused Keith Schembri, chief of staff to former prime minister Joseph Muscat, of being behind the murder plot.
The Guardian described the trial as the longest-running murder trial in Maltese history, with a jury pronouncing Fenech not guilty after gasps and cheers echoed around hall 22 of the courts of justice in Valletta.
The Guardian said Caruana Galizia died in a car bombing in October 2017, and that her revelations and the fallout from her death led to the resignation of prime minister Joseph Muscat and several members of his government.
In the same Reuters account, the government urged calm after the acquittal, while the attorney general was considering whether to appeal for a retrial and Judge Edwina Grima ordered evidence be sent to the Police Commissioner to determine whether third parties should face criminal proceedings.
Outrage, pledges, and protests
After the verdict, the opposition leader Alex Borg called for the recall of parliament from its summer recess, and Reuters reported that Malta's government appealed for prudence in public comments that could do more harm than good.
The Guardian quoted Borg saying, “We believe journalism is the backbone of a democracy,” and described his demand to strengthen press protection and anti-corruption measures.
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament and a former Maltese politician, pledged to continue the fight for justice, writing in a Facebook post addressed to “Dear Daphne” that “We will not give up and we will not give in,” according to Reuters.
Caruana Galizia's family described the verdict as “justice denied,” and the Guardian said the attorney general was considering whether to appeal for a retrial.
Reuters added that Matthew Caruana Galizia expressed dismay on Facebook with “Terrible decision by the jurors that our country may never recover from,” while Reporters Without Borders said it was “beyond outraged” by the acquittal.
What remains at stake
The Guardian said the trial revealed “the full extent of the challenges faced by those leading the search for Daphne’s killers,” including evidence that sensitive details were being leaked during detectives’ efforts to identify those involved from bomb makers to hitmen to their ultimate client.
““Don’t worry about me, nobody can touch me,””
The Guardian reported that the jury was told much of the information was coming from the prime minister’s right-hand man, and it cited secret recordings in which Fenech was heard saying, “Don’t worry about me, nobody can touch me.”
Reuters reported that prosecutors cannot appeal the verdict except in exceptional circumstances involving points of law, and that Judge Edwina Grima ordered evidence be sent to the Police Commissioner to determine whether third parties should face criminal proceedings.
Euronews and DW both framed the acquittal as a legal turning point for Fenech, with DW noting he was cleared of both complicity for murder and criminal association to commit murder with a jury margin of 8-1.
In the Guardian’s account, the long search for whoever was responsible for hiring hitmen must begin again after Wednesday’s decision, leaving the attorney general’s potential retrial consideration and the Police Commissioner’s next steps as the immediate procedural consequences.