Malta businessman acquitted of plotting journalist Caruana Galizia murder

By AFP and Reuters. Published On 2 Sep 20262 Sep 2026.

Key points

• An independent inquiry in 2021 discovered that office-holders in Malta had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.
• A court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the murder of prominent anticorruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
• His defence instead pointed fingers at his one-time friend Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and a target of Caruana Galizia's blogs.
• Muscat, who was never linked to the murder, stepped down in January 2020 due to the political fallout from the assassination.
• Fenech, 44, was acquitted on Wednesday at the end of a jury trial.

Meanwhile, a court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the murder of prominent anticorruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech, 44, was acquitted on Wednesday at the end of a jury trial. He had been tried on charges of complicity to murder and for the lesser charge of criminal association to commit murder. If discovered guilty, Fenech could have faced life in prison.

Caruana Galizia's family were seen weeping in the packed courtroom in Valletta after the businessman was cleared of both counts by an 8-1 margin after eight hours of deliberation by the jury.

"Nine years after Daphne's brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed, " the slain reporter's family remarked in an official note.

"Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne's life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost." Fenech's family members were seen celebrating the jury's decision.

For context, the killing of Caruana Galizia in October 2017 shocked Europe's journalist community and set off a political firestorm in Malta, focusing international attention on its police and judiciary.

Dubbed a "one-woman WikiLeaks", Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the Mediterranean island country, shining a spotlight on links between Malta's business and political elites. She was 53 when she was killed.

Prosecutors argued that Fenech had wanted Caruana Galizia killed since she was concerning to reveal information regarding him.

Fenech has denied the accusations. His defence instead pointed fingers at his one-time friend Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and a target of Caruana Galizia's blogs.

Police informed the court that Schembri had never been a suspect. He has denied any role in the murder.

Meanwhile, an independent inquiry in 2021 discovered that office-holders in Malta had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.

Taken together, the developments around malta businessman acquitted of plotting journalist Caruana Galizia murder point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.