VALLETTA, September 3, 2026—Almost nine years after investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in a car bomb, Malta has still not convicted the person or people who orchestrated her horrific murder, setting a terrible precedent that will resonate across Europe.
On Wednesday, following an emotional trial that lasted 55 days and gripped the nation, a jury
acquitted
businessman Yorgen Fenech, who had been accused of masterminding Caruana Galizia’s murder in October 2017, on two counts of complicity and criminal association. When the verdict was read, many people gasped, while others burst into tears. Fenech, who had pleaded not guilty, left the courtroom after the ruling.
While the prosecution
is expected to appeal,
the verdict was devastating for Caruana Galizia’s family, whose long campaign for justice had already exposed failings by the Maltese state, with a
public inquiry
concluding that the assassination was both predictable and preventable.
“Yesterday’s verdict means that almost nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination sent shockwaves through Europe, Malta has still not convicted the person who orchestrated the crime. It is heartbreaking for her family, who have campaigned tirelessly for justice. And it is also devastating for all journalists who seek to hold the powerful to account, in Malta and right across the continent, ” said CPJ’s deputy director of advocacy Tom Gibson, who was in the Maltese capital Valletta for the verdict.
“Malta has made many promises about journalism safety and upholding the rule of law in the years since her murder but has yet to deliver on most of them. That is unacceptable. We will continue to campaign for reform, and to stand by Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family until justice is served.”
After the ruling, Caruana Galizia’s family said Daphne had been denied the justice she deserved.
“Today should have belonged to Daphne. Her dreams and ours were shattered when she was killed
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