Maltese prosecutors on Wednesday detailed how Yorgen Fenech, a prominent businessman and heir to a vast property empire, allegedly orchestrated the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by paying hitmen €150,000 (£130,000).
Fenech, 44, whose family interests include the Hilton Malta hotel and casino, pleaded not guilty as his trial commenced at the courts of justice in Valletta. He faces two counts: complicity in voluntary homicide and criminal association.
The jury heard that Caruana Galizia, a 53-year-old blogger and columnist known for exposing corruption among government and business elites, was killed on 16 October 2017.
A powerful explosive device, concealed within a children’s shoebox and placed beneath the driver’s seat of her car, was detonated as she left her home in Bidnija.
According to the indictment, the plot was initiated in April 2017 when Fenech allegedly instructed Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver and bookmaker, to recruit assassins, reports Guardian.
Prosecutors claim
Fenech specifically identified George Degiorgio as a potential hitman and sought the murder because Caruana Galizia was preparing to publish reports concerning him and his uncle.
The agreed price for the killing was €150,000, with an initial deposit of €30,000. While the plan was suspended during the June 2017 general election, the prosecution alleges Fenech ordered Theuma to proceed following the return of the Labour administration, personally delivering an envelope of cash for the operation.
The court was told that the bomb was ultimately triggered via a text message sent by George Degiorgio while he was aboard his boat in the grand harbour. Following the murder, Fenech reportedly spent additional “tens of thousands” covering the legal costs for the hitmen after their eventual arrest.
Fenech is the last of seven suspects to face trial in connection with the case. Five individuals have already been convicted, including the Degiorgio brothers, who received 40-year sentences, and Vincent Muscat, who was sentenced to 15 years following a plea bargain. In June 2025, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were handed life sentences for supplying the explosive.
Theuma, the prosecution’s key witness, was granted pardon in exchange for his testimony and the surrender of secret recordings he made of his dealings with Fenech. Fenech’s defence team has contested these recordings, accusing Theuma of providing “blatant lies” and “half-truths”.
The 2019 arrest of Fenech triggered a major political crisis in Malta, resulting in the resignation of then prime minister Joseph Muscat.
The attorney general is seeking a life sentence for the homicide charge, alongside a further 20 to 30 years for criminal association. Under local law, the jury will remain sequestered in a hotel for the duration of the trial, with no access to mobile phones or computers.
