Daphne Caruana Galizia, a prominent investigative journalist and blogger who reported on government corruption and the Panama Papers, was killed in a car bomb in Malta in October 2017.
In the years-long search for justice since, no one has been convicted for commissioning her murder, though several people have been found guilty of involvement.
In 2019, a suspected facilitator of the killing received a presidential pardon in exchange for naming those responsible.
Since then, five people have been jailed for carrying out the assassination and procuring the bomb used: in 2021, one man pleaded guilty to taking part in the killing and was sentenced to 15 years in prison; in October 2022, two men were sentenced to 40 years each for executing the murder; in June 2025, two intermediaries were found guilty.
In July 2026, businessman Yorgen Fenech, accused of masterminding the assassination, went on trial on two counts of complicity and criminal association. Fenech pleaded not guilty and on September 2, after a 55-day trial, was acquitted. Jurors returned a not guilty verdict by a vote of 8-1 on both counts. The prosecution is expected to appeal.
The murder
Caruana Galizia was killed on October 16, 2017, when the car that she was driving exploded near her house in Bidnija, in northern Malta. Her killers detonated a bomb under the driver's seat by remote control. The journalist had told police two weeks earlier that she had received death threats.
Her blog, Running Commentary, which included investigative reports and commentary on local politicians, was one of the most widely read websites in Malta. Caruana Galizia’s last blog was posted a few minutes before she was killed, according to Malta Today
The then prime minister Joseph Muscat condemned the murder as a “barbaric attack on a person and on the freedom of expression in our country.”
Caruana Galizia reported extensively on alleged corruption linked to Malta’s elite, both in government and the opposition. Her reporting on Muscat’s alleged connection to the Panama Papers corruption scandal forced the prime minister to call early elections in June 2017.
CPJ joined with other rights organizations and the journalist’s family to repeatedly call on Maltese authorities to ensure the investigation into Caruana Galizia’s killing was independent and free from political interference. A public inquiry was set up in 2019 to investigate the circumstances that led to her death.
In 2021, that inquiry concluded that the journalist’s death could have been avoided if Maltese authorities took steps to fight the official corruption that Caruana Galizia reported on, instead of creating an “atmosphere of impunity.”
Arrests and convictions
On December 5, 2017, police arrested three men — Vince Muscat (not related to the prime minister) and two brothers, George and Alfred Degiorgio — for alleged murder, criminal use of explosives, involvement in organized crime, and criminal conspiracy. In July 2019, they were formally charged.
On November 14, 2019, authorities arrested Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver described by police as a suspected middleman. Theuma offered to name those responsible for ordering the murder in exchange for a pardon, which was granted.
On November 20, 2019, authorities detained Fenech, who had close ties to senior government officials, as he was trying to leave Malta by boat. On November 30, police charged Fenech with complicity in the murder, membership of a criminal gang, and conspiracy to cause an explosion. Fenech pleaded not guilty.
Investigations by journalists and authorities had uncovered links between Fenech and Prime Minister Muscat’s former chief of staff, prompting Muscat to step down on December 1 – just hours after Fenech was charged.
On August 18, 2021, prosecutors indicted Fenech on charges of complicity in murder and criminal association; following the court’s rejection of his bail request in 2022, he remained in detention until February 2025, when he was granted bail, with no date set for his trial.
On February 23, 2021, Vince Muscat pleaded guilty at a pretrial hearing and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
On February 24, 2021, police charged Robert Agius and Jamie Vella with complicity in the killing for allegedly supplying the bomb, according to news reports. Maltese National Police Chief Angelo Gafa said then that “every person involved, be it mastermind or accomplice, is under arrest or facing charges,” The Guardian reported.
On October 14, 2022, a court sentenced Alfred and George Degiorgio to 40 years each and fined them 50,000 euros (USD$49,000) after they both pleaded guilty. On November 22, 2023, the Court of Criminal Appeal upheld the original verdict.
In June 2025, Agius and Vella were found guilty of complicity in the murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In January 2026 an appeals court rejected their appeal to overturn the life sentences.
Following Fenech’s acquittal in September 2026, press freedom organizations, including CPJ, European officials and Maltese opposition politicians called on Malta to ensure that those responsible for ordering Caruana Galizia’s murder were brought to justice, and to commit to reforms guaranteeing the safety of all journalists in the country.