VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The jury trial of Yorgen Fenech, accused of complicity in the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, opened on Wednesday before Judge Edwina Grima in Valletta.
Jury selection lasted about five hours, resulting in the appointment of nine jurors and six reserve jurors.
Fenech, who denies the charges, was arrested in November 2019 while attempting to leave Malta by yacht. He was granted bail in January 2025 after more than five years in custody under strict conditions.
The trial follows years of delays caused by constitutional challenges and defence applications. Judge Grima had previously ruled that jury selection would proceed despite further objections.
The hearing attracted international media and press freedom organisations, alongside members of Caruana Galizia’s family and Fenech’s relatives.
Three men have already been convicted for carrying out the murder, while two others received life sentences for supplying the bomb used in the attack. Prosecutors allege Fenech commissioned the killing through middleman Melvin Theuma and are seeking a life sentence.
Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in October 2017 while investigating corruption linked to the Electrogas power station project.
Reporters Without Borders described the trial as a landmark moment for press freedom, expressing hope it would uncover the full truth behind the murder and help end impunity for crimes against journalists.
The trial is expected to last several weeks, with testimony from key witnesses central to one of Malta’s most significant criminal cases.
– photo Net News –
(ITALPRESS).
