Key facts
- Yorgen Fenech is on trial for masterminding the 2017 car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
- Fenech faces a potential life sentence if convicted of complicity to murder.
- A state's witness testified that Fenech ordered and funded the assassination.
- The defense suggested Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to the prime minister, was involved.
- Nine jurors began deliberations after three days of summing up.
Jurors began deliberations on Wednesday in the trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of orchestrating the 2017 car bomb murder of prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The killing, which occurred nine years ago, sent shockwaves across Europe and triggered a political crisis in Malta, leading to international scrutiny of the country's law enforcement and judicial systems.
Fenech, 44, faces a potential life sentence if convicted of complicity to murder, or up to 18 years for criminal association to commit murder. Judge Edwina Grima instructed the nine jurors to consider their verdict after three days of summing up, emphasizing that a decision requires the agreement of at least six jurors. Members of Caruana Galizia's family were present in court as the trial reached its conclusion.
During the proceedings, alleged middleman Melvin Theuma testified that Fenech had ordered and financed the murder, as well as the legal defense for the hitmen. The prosecution argued that Fenech sought Caruana Galizia's death because she was close to publishing information about him. Fenech has denied the charges, with his defense team pointing to Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, as a potential suspect. Schembri, who was a target of Caruana Galizia's investigative blogs, has denied any involvement, and police confirmed he was not considered a suspect in the case. The political fallout from the assassination led to Muscat's resignation in January 2020.