After nearly seven years since casino mogul Yorgen Fenech was apprehended by the Armed Forces of Malta while allegedly attempting to escape the island on his yacht, his long-anticipated murder trial commenced on Thursday in Valletta, the capital of Malta.
Fenech, one of Malta’s most affluent businessmen, was detained on November 20, 2019, under suspicion of being involved in the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
As the head of the family-run Tumas Group, Fenech managed Malta’s Qawra Oracle Casino and Portomaso Casino.
Prosecutors are likely to argue that Caruana Galizia was targeted because she was on the verge of uncovering information related to a corrupt government contract that benefited Fenech.
In October 2017, Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack, an event that drew widespread international media scrutiny.
Blood Money
Fenech stands accused of orchestrating the murder and financing it with €150,000 (approximately $177,000) via intermediary Melvin Theuma, who confessed to relaying instructions to gangsters George and Alfred Degiorgio, along with their associate, Vince Muscat.
The Degiorgio brothers received 40-year prison sentences for placing the bomb in a child’s shoebox beneath the driver’s seat of Caruana Galizia’s Peugeot 108.
Muscat, who cooperated with law enforcement, received a 15-year sentence. In June 2025, two men convicted of supplying the bomb were sentenced to life behind bars.
Theuma was arrested in November 2019. Just one day prior to Fenech’s intended escape, authorities revealed Theuma would receive a presidential pardon in exchange for his testimony regarding the murder.
Electrogas Deal
Prosecutors are expected to assert that Fenech ordered the murder of Caruana Galizia due to fears she would publicly expose corruption related to a $500 million energy contract awarded to Electrogas, a firm in which he possessed a significant stake.
At the moment of her untimely death, Caruana Galizia was examining the Panama Papers, a trove of 11.5 million leaked documents revealing the offshore financial dealings of over 214,000 individuals and entities.
Her investigative work revealed evidence of a Dubai-based company, 17 Black, poised to transfer $2 million to two offshore shell companies owned by Keith Schembri, then-chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and Konrad Mizzi, who previously served as Malta’s energy minister.
Caruana Galizia was murdered before she could disclose that Fenech was the actual owner of 17 Black, a link later confirmed by an international consortium of investigative journalists who pledged to continue her mission after her passing.
Political Crisis
Fenech has entered a not guilty plea for both murder and criminal association and could face life imprisonment if found guilty.
Neither Mizzi nor Schembri has faced charges, yet both were compelled to resign amidst the scandal, igniting mass protests as citizens demanded accountability and arrests.
This case has triggered a political and constitutional crisis in Malta, ultimately resulting in the downfall of Joseph Muscat’s administration in January 2020.