**Prosecution Continues Closing Arguments in Yorgen Fenech Trial Over Daphne Caruana Galizia Murder**
*Valletta, 28 August 2026* – The criminal trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech resumed today as the prosecution presented its closing arguments, asserting that the evidence implicates Fenech as the mastermind behind the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
**Charges and Plea**
Fenech, who was arrested in November 2019, faces two principal charges: (1) complicity in the wilful homicide of Caruana Galizia and (2) criminal association to commit the murder. He has entered a not‑guilty plea on both counts.
**Prosecution’s Case**
Lead prosecutor Anthony Vella told the jury that a series of communications, financial transactions, and witness testimonies point directly to Fenech’s involvement. Key points highlighted by the prosecution include:
* **WhatsApp messages** exchanged between Fenech and his uncle Ray, discussing potential flights to Paris, rental of property in France, and arrangements for a private jet, which Vella argued contradict Fenech’s claim that he was merely taking his yacht, the *Gio*, for routine maintenance on the night of his arrest.
* **Financial links** to middleman Melvin Theuma. According to testimony, Theuma identified Fenech as the person who provided €150,000 for the murder. The prosecution cited secret recordings in which Theuma allegedly heard Fenech confirm the payment.
* **Evidence of motive** related to the €500 million Electrogas project and the secret company “17 Black.” The prosecution presented internal emails and a photograph sent by Fenech that show his involvement with the project, arguing that the potential collapse of the venture provided a financial incentive for silencing Caruana Galizia, who had published investigative reports on the matter.
* **Witness testimony** from convicted hitmen, including Vince Muscat, who corroborated Theuma’s account of the planning and execution of the car bomb that killed Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017.
* **Technical evidence** from an FBI report and mobile‑localisation data tracing the movement of burner phones and the bomb’s GSM module, linking the devices to the timeline of the assassination.
**Background of the Murder Case**
Daphne Caruana Galizia, a columnist for *The Malta Independent*, was killed by a car bomb in a residential area of Malta on 16 October 2017. Five individuals have already been convicted in connection with the attack:
* Vince Muscat – sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment (2021);
* Alfred and George Degiorgio – each sentenced to 40 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty (2022);
* Robert Agius and Jamie Vella – sentenced to life imprisonment for supplying the bomb (2025).
**Legal Teams and Court**
The prosecution is being led by Attorney‑General lawyers Godwin Cini, Anthony Vella and Danika Vella, with assistance from Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra. Fenech is represented by Charles Mercieca, Giannella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran. Lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi appear *parte civile* on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family. Judge Edwina Grima presides over the case.
**Proceedings**
The courtroom observed a brief lunch break at 12:59 GMT before resuming. Throughout the afternoon, Vella addressed various aspects of the defence’s narrative, including allegations that former Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff Keith Schembri was the mastermind behind the murder. Vella contended that the evidence against Schembri is insufficient and that the prosecution’s case rests on material directly linking Fenech to the plot.
The defence, led by Mercieca, raised objections concerning the admissibility of certain documents not included in the formal trial record. Judge Grima warned both sides to limit their closing submissions to evidence that has been formally presented to the jurors.
**Next Steps**
The trial is expected to continue later this week, after which the jury will deliberate on the charges against Yorgen Fenech. The outcome will determine whether he will be convicted alongside the already sentenced co‑conspir
Article source: independent.com.mt | Image credit: The Guardian
