[REVISION HISTORY]

Yorgen Fenech acquittal faces appeal and misconduct claims

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2026-09-16 20:36 UTC → 2026-09-16 22:51 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following the acquittal of Yorgen Fenech in the 2017 car-bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the prosecution is expected to appeal the verdict. The Attorney General has a 15-day window to file an appeal on legal or procedural grounds, which could lead to a retrial before a panel of three judges. The verdict has triggered allegations of jury interference. Reports suggest a telephone survey was conducted prior to jury empanelment, asking respondents about political allegiances and views on key figures like Fenech and Caruana Galizia. While pollster Vincent Marmara denies targeting jurors, accounts from Jason Azzopardi and Matthew Caruana Galizia suggest many recipients were potential jurors. The University has been asked to investigate these claims. In response to the acquittal, Matthew Caruana Galizia called for a retrial, stating, “Yorgen Fenech got away with murder,” and alleging the Maltese state remains a “mafia state” that ensures killers are liberated. Additionally, Archbishop Charles Scicluna warned of the risk of ‘national capture’ in Malta, cautioning that informal networks of influence and corruption among politicians and law enforcement could allow private interests to supersede public duty. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also expressed outrage, stating that Maltese authorities have failed to convict the mastermind nearly nine years after the crime. Public outcry has intensified, with thousands of demonstrators gathering in Valletta. Organized by civil society groups such as Repubblika and Occupy Justice, protesters carried banners with messages like “justice denied” and “stop impunity.” ~~Family members of~~ While five individuals—three who planted the ~~victim expressed frustration, noting~~ bomb and two who manufactured it—are serving prison sentences, the ~~verdict fails to resolve broader political~~ acquittal of the alleged mastermind has sparked widespread calls for more effective anti-mafia legislation and ~~institutional implications. Activists continue to demand~~ greater independence for national institutions. Michael Vella, the ~~full implementation~~ victim's father, stated that the movement seeks a country governed by the rule of ~~public inquiry recommendations~~ law rather than corruption and ~~an investigation into an alleged “mafia network.”~~ fear.

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