VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Matthew Caruana Galizia has alleged that messages exchanged between jurors in the Yorgen Fenech trial were found on their mobile phones and showed bias against his family.
Speaking at a protest concert in Valletta on Sunday evening, Caruana Galizia claimed some jurors had expressed a desire to “continue hurting” his family by acquitting Fenech.
Fenech was acquitted by a near-unanimous jury of complicity or association in the car-bomb assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia nine years ago.
Caruana Galizia said his family had not anticipated the possibility of juror bias, believing the evidence was strong and that prejudice would not influence the verdict.
He praised the Police and prosecution, as well as civil society and politicians he described as serious, for their efforts to seek justice.
However, he criticised the judicial system, saying it had “collapsed” when tested despite reforms introduced in recent years.
He pointed to covert recordings obtained by investigators which, he said, were difficult to hear when played in court.
Caruana Galizia also accused groups on Facebook of spreading what he called “poison” about his mother, claiming that such views had reached members of the jury.
He said the jurors had been tasked with deciding whether the person he described as his mother’s killer was guilty.
Caruana Galizia said the assassination was not simply a crime against one person but against Maltese society as a whole.
He called for further reforms to the justice system and thanked those attending the protest for continuing to demand accountability.
The event featured placards calling for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia, greater protection for journalists and implementation of recommendations from the public inquiry into her assassination.
– Photo Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
