VALLETTA (MALTA)(ITALPRESS/MNA) – The prosecution has formally appealed the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech over the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The lengthy appeal was filed on Tuesday morning, less than three weeks after a nine-member jury returned an 8-1 not guilty verdict on both charges against Fenech.
The filing formally activates the Attorney General’s previously announced decision to challenge the verdict.
Fenech was acquitted on 2 September after a 55-day trial during which more than 100 witnesses testified.
The first charge concerned complicity in the voluntary homicide of Caruana Galizia, while the second alleged that Fenech had associated with others to commit a crime in Malta.
The prosecution had alleged that Fenech commissioned and financed the assassination through intermediary Melvin Theuma.
Fenech denied ordering or paying for the murder.
The appeal does not overturn the acquittal or establish Fenech’s guilt. The three-judge Court of Criminal Appeal must now assess the legal grounds submitted by the prosecution and determine whether they meet the requirements for a new trial.
Lawyer Jason Azzopardi, representing the Caruana Galizia family as parte civile, had said he expected a strong appeal following the verdict.
Matthew Caruana Galizia also welcomed the Attorney General’s decision to seek a new trial, describing it as the right course of action.
The family cannot independently appeal the acquittal but may participate in the proceedings alongside the Attorney General.
The appeal comes as a separate police investigation involving several jurors continues.
Police said that investigation concerns the oath taken by jurors and alleged public comments made by some before the trial. Those questioned were later released on police bail.
The investigation is separate from the appeal and does not, by itself, establish that the jury’s verdict was improperly reached.
Separately, Judge Edwina Grima ordered evidence emerging during the trial to be referred to the Police Commissioner and incorporated into ongoing magisterial inquiries.
The Court of Criminal Appeal will now determine whether the prosecution has established sufficient legal grounds for a new trial.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
