[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Malta trial of Yorgen Fenech

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-04 16:13 UTC → 2026-08-04 17:15 UTC · added removed

The jury trial of Yorgen Fenech opened in Valletta on 1 July 2026, accusing the Hilton Malta heir of commissioning the 2017 car‑bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Prosecutors seek life imprisonment for homicide and a lengthy term for criminal association. On 13 July 2026, convicted hitman Vince Muscat (Il‑Koħħu) gave detailed testimony, describing how weapons were procured, surveillance was carried out and a bomb was assembled and moved from a garage in Naxxar to another in Santa Venera before being positioned for detonation, even if Caruana Galizia’s family were inside the vehicle. He reiterated the €150,000 payment to the hitmen and hinted at political connections. Further testimony on 16 July 2026 from brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio linked former chief of staff Keith Schembri and former minister Chris Cardona to the plot, with middleman Melvin Theuma confirming Schembri’s involvement. The defendants continue to deny the accusations as the trial proceeds. On 3 August 2026, Matthew Caruana Galizia, the journalist’s son, testified about the extensive Electrogas email cache his mother had been analysing. Prosecutors presented extracts from Fenech’s seized mobile phone showing internet searches for “AK‑47 with suppressor” and emails ordering hand grenades, Glock pistols with suppressors, Scorpion automatic rifles and ammunition, addressed ammunition to Portomaso Tower and Tower, linked to a Bitcoin payment. The defence argued the material was unrelated, but the judge ruled it the material admissible, allowing jurors to view the digital evidence. Prosecutors highlighted that the weapons order and the Electrogas electricity contract—awarded after Malta’s 2013 election—illustrate alleged offshore corruption involving senior officials, with Matthew noting his mother’s emails repeatedly referenced Fenech, reinforcing the connection between the murder and the contested deal.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-04 17:15 UTC Malta trial of Yorgen Fenech
  2. 2026-08-04 16:13 UTC Malta trial of Yorgen Fenech

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.