Maltese Court Acquits Businessman Yorgen Fenech in Murder of Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
14 sources across 11 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- ANSA
- Corriere della Sera
- The Guardian
- Reuters
- Folha de S.Paulo
- France 24
- South China Morning Post
- NRC
- Al Jazeera
- Business Day
- El Pais
- Associated Press
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
A Maltese court acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech on Wednesday of charges that he masterminded the 2017 car bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. A jury of nine people voted 8 to 1 to clear the 44 year old tycoon of both complicity in murder and criminal association to commit murder. Fenech had faced up to life imprisonment if convicted. He denied all allegations throughout the trial. During his testimony, Fenech pointed to Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to then prime minister Joseph Muscat, as the true mastermind. Schembri has denied any involvement and was not a defendant in the trial.
Caruana Galizia was 53 when she was killed by a bomb placed in her car near her home in Mosta. She was known for her blog, Running Commentary, where she investigated corruption, money laundering, and links between political and business elites in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing approximately 40 libel suits. The assassination triggered a political crisis and mass protests that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in January 2020. A 2021 independent inquiry concluded that the Maltese state bore responsibility for the circumstances leading to her death.
While Fenech was acquitted, five other individuals have been convicted for their roles in the crime. Three men were convicted of executing the attack, and two others received life sentences for providing the bomb. The family of Caruana Galizia and press freedom advocates expressed outrage over the verdict. Her family stated that institutional failures remain unaddressed and that the country failed to protect her life. The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom and Reporters Without Borders also criticized the outcome, suggesting it sends a disturbing message regarding the impunity of those who attack journalists.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the impact on press freedom and the systemic failure of the state to protect journalists.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the legal details of the acquittal and the historical context of the political crisis.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the businessman's status as a tycoon and the specific political fallout that brought down the government.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Malta: alleged mastermind of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia acquitted
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Maltese tycoon acquitted of killing journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
- Centre Associated Press: Jury in Malta acquits businessman in killing of investigative journalist - AP News
- Centre-right Business Day: Maltese businessman acquitted in campaigning journalist murder trial
- Centre-right Corriere della Sera: Daphne Caruana Galizia, billionaire Fenech acquitted: he was accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of the journalist
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Daphne Caruana Galizia: Jury acquits alleged mastermind of the murder
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Malta: Businessman acquitted of journalist's murder
- Centre-left El Pais: Businessman accused of ordering the death of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia acquitted in Malta
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Malta court acquits tycoon accused of ordering murder of journalist killed by bomb
- Centre France 24: Murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia: tycoon Yorgen Fenech acquitted in Malta
- Centre NRC: Alleged mastermind behind the murder of Maltese journalist Galizia acquitted. Relatives: 'Our country has failed'
- Centre Reuters: Malta court acquits businessman of car bomb murder of anti-corruption journalist - Reuters
- Centre Reuters: Malta court clears businessman over murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia - Reuters
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Businessman acquitted in murder of Malta journalist that brought down government
- Centre-left The Guardian: Maltese tycoon found not guilty of involvement in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.