A leading Maltese businessman has been indicted for allegedly masterminding the car bombing murder of an investigative journalist that triggered an international outcry.
The indictment, which confirms for the first time that Yorgen Fenech will stand trial, requests life imprisonment on the murder charge and between 20 and 30 years in prison for criminal conspiracy.
Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who investigated alleged corruption involving high-level politicians and prominent businessmen, was killed on October 16, 201, when the car she was driving blew up on a road near her home.
Fenech was arrested in November 2019, while trying to leave Malta on his yacht, in connection with the murder and is in jail awaiting trial. He has denied involvement and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg laid out the formal charges against Fenech on Wednesday.
The murder of Caruana Galizia, a reporter who had exposed cronyism in Malta's political and business elite sparked international outrage and protests that eventually forced then-prime minister Joseph Muscat to resign.
At the time of her death, she was investigating a highly controversial power station deal, in which Fenech was one of the main shareholders and a director.
According to the indictment, Fenech is accused of asking an associate of his, taxi driver Melvin Theuma, to hire three hitmen who would be paid 150,000 euros ($175,000) to kill Caruana Galizia.
The hitmen had allegedly initially planned to shoot the journalist with a sniper rifle from the other side of a valley, while she sat on her sofa at home. But the plan was dropped at the last minute and a car bomb chosen instead.
It was detonated at 2:58pm, allegedly by George Degiorgio, through a text message sent from his boat.
Degiorgio and his brother Alfred are both awaiting trial for planting the bomb. A third man, Vincent Muscat — no relation to the former prime minister — pleaded guilty earlier this year and was jailed for 15 years.
A public inquiry into Caruana Galizia's murder last month found the Maltese state responsible for creating a climate of impunity in the country that allowed her to be killed, including through the coordination by staff in the prime minister's office of online harassment campaigns against her.
Prime Minister Robert Abela apologised to the Caruana Galizia family after the inquiry's conclusions, and pledged to take all of its recommendations on board.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
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November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
