This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
On December 1, 2019, a dramatic turn of events unfolded in Malta as prosecutors charged Yorgen Fenech, a wealthy businessman, with complicity in the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Caruana Galizia, a fierce critic of the Maltese government, was killed in a car bomb attack on October 16, 2017. The case had gone cold, but recent developments have brought new hope to her family and the people of Malta.
Speaking after Fenech's arraignment, Matthew Caruana Galizia, the journalist's son, expressed his emotions, saying it was 'surreal and horrifying' to sit in court just a few feet from a man suspected of ordering and paying for his mother's murder.
Family members demanded the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, saying that only his departure would allow a 'free and full investigation.' Muscat had planned to announce his resignation, but by late Saturday night, he had not done so.
Protesters gathered in the capital, Valletta, for the latest in a series of demonstrations demanding that the prime minister step down. They chanted, 'Out, out, out!' and waved signs reading 'Enough corruption' and 'Blood is on your hands.'
Fenech, 38, is suspected of paying three contract killers to carry out the murder. He was arrested on November 19 while trying to flee Malta aboard his yacht. The yacht was halted by Maltese military personnel, and Fenech was forced to return to port.
The charges against Fenech carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of complicity in murder, membership of a criminal organization, and a charge related to an illegal explosion.
