Billionaire Yorgen Fenech Cleared of Involvement in Daphne Caruana Galizia Car-Bomb Killing |

Acquittal of Yorgen Fenech in Daphne Caruana Galizia Murder Case

Yorgen Fenech, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta murder, Electrogas, 17 Black — Yorgen Fenech, center, leaving court having been found not guilty of ordering the car bomb assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia following a high-profile trial in Valletta, Malta. (Image: Matthew Mirabelli/Getty)

Jury in Valletta, Malta found Yorgen Fenech not guilty by eight-to-one majority on charges of complicity in murder and criminal association.

Reaction to the verdict was intense, with gasps from the gallery and cheers from Fenech’s relatives, according to The Guardian.

Caruana Galizia was murdered by a car bomb in October 2017, sparking international attention.

Significance of the Case

Fenech, a wealthy figure in Malta, was accused of planning the murder and paying €150,000 (US$177,000) for the killing through middleman Melvin Theuma, who confessed to arranging the hit with George and Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat.

The Degiorgio brothers received 40-year sentences for placing the bomb in Caruana Galizia’s car, while Muscat, who cooperated with authorities, was sentenced to 15 years. In June 2025, two others involved in supplying the bomb were given life sentences.

Theuma, offered a pardon for his cooperation, implicated Fenech in the crime. Fenech was apprehended the next day while reportedly trying to escape Malta on his yacht.

Prosecutors alleged that Fenech ordered the murder due to Caruana Galizia’s investigations into corruption related to a $500 million government energy contract awarded to Electrogas, a company Fenech had a major stake in.

Revelations

Caruana Galizia’s reporting revealed links between a Dubai-registered firm, 17 Black, and offshore companies tied to Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and Konrad Mizzi, ex-energy minister and later health minister in Malta.

Before her death, Caruana Galizia was on the verge of exposing Fenech’s ownership of 17 Black, a fact later unearthed by an international group of journalists continuing her work.

Fenech’s defense claimed Schembri was behind the murder, portraying Theuma as a dishonest accuser trying to frame Fenech to save himself.

Schembri has not been implicated in the crime and was not a suspect in the investigation.

Aftermath and Response

Fenech’s arrest prompted widespread protests against corruption in Malta and the perceived impunity of political and business figures, leading to the downfall of the Muscat government.

In a statement, Caruana Galizia’s family expressed disappointment with the verdict, saying she deserves justice that has yet to be realized despite the passage of nine years since her brutal assassination.

Prosecutors intend to challenge the acquittal decision.

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