As Yorgen Fenech left the courthouse in Valletta on Wednesday evening, he was confronted by the furious crowd outside.
asserted
he → leave → crowd
The 44-year-old Maltese businessman pushed through, flanked by his security guards.
asserted
businessman → push → guards
Just minutes earlier, a jury had acquitted him of ordering the murder of the 53-year-old investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
asserted
jury → acquit → journalist
The verdict came as a shock to her family.
asserted
verdict → come → family
Her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, said it was a "terrible decision by the jurors that our country may never recover from."
uncertain
country → say → that
He later doubled down on his criticism, describing the verdict in a post on Facebook as "obscene" and saying: "Their decision flies in the face of all evidence, of all logic, of the truth."
asserted
decision → double → truth
Almost nine years after Caruana Galizia's murder, Malta is again confronted with the crucial question: Who was responsible for her death on October 16, 2017?
asserted
Who → confront → October
The men who procured the bomb, placed it under the driver's seat and detonated it remotely have already been convicted.
asserted
who → procure → it
But the person who contracted them to do it has still not been legally identified.
asserted
who → contract → it
For years, Fenech was considered to be the central figure in the investigations.
asserted
Fenech → consider → investigations
His luxury yacht, Gio, had just left harbor when it was stopped by a Maltese military patrol boat.
asserted
it → leave → boat
Fenech was arrested on board and subsequently interrogated by the police.
asserted
Fenech → arrest → police
Fenech's arrest, and suspicion that people in government circles were involved in the crime, sparked protests all across the country.
asserted
people → involve → country
Joseph Muscat, prime minister at the time, was accused of protecting political allies and stepped down in January 2020.
asserted
Muscat → accuse → January
Fenech spent more than five years in detention before being released on bail, under strict conditions, in early 2025.
asserted
Fenech → spend → 2025
His trial only began this summer, and the final verdict was decisive.
asserted
verdict → begin → ?
Eight of the nine jurors rejected the prosecution's argument that it was Fenech who had ordered the journalist's murder.
asserted
who → reject → murder
The prosecution case relied above all on the testimony of Melvin Theuma, who confessed to being the middleman and testified that Fenech had contracted him to organize the murder.
asserted
Fenech → rely → murder
Theuma received a pardon in exchange for his cooperation.
asserted
Theuma → receive → cooperation
But Fenech's defense called Theuma's credibility into question, highlighting contradictions in his testimony and false statements he had made previously.
asserted
he → call → testimony
Fenech's lawyers also sought to prove that evidence pointing to Keith Schembri, chief of staff to Muscat at the time, was not properly followed up.
asserted
evidence → seek → time
Schembri has denied any involvement in the murder, and the investigators did not charge him as a suspect in this case.
asserted
investigators → deny → case
The public prosecutors' argument was that Caruana Galizia had been investigating Fenech, specifically his company 17 Black and the energy consortium ElectroGas, on suspicion of corruption.
asserted
Galizia → investigate → corruption
This, they said, meant Fenech had a motive for silencing her.
asserted
Fenech → say → her
She had not, however, been on the point of publishing anything that could have threatened him.
uncertain
that → publish → him
Many in Malta are outraged by the not-guilty verdict.
asserted
Many → outrage → verdict
But there is no indication to date that Fenech did not receive a fair trial, or that the process was manipulated.
asserted
process → be → trial
For him to be convicted, Fenech's guilt had to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
asserted
guilt → convict → doubt
Caruana Galizia's family are therefore also focusing on institutional failures that they believe facilitated the murder.
asserted
they → focus → murder
They complain that these have not been addressed, and necessary reforms not implemented.
asserted
reforms → complain → ?
An official investigation already established, in 2021, that an "atmosphere of impunity" in Malta created conditions that made the murder possible.
asserted
murder → establish → conditions
Since then, Malta has made progress with a series of reforms, but many say they do not go far enough.
asserted
they → make → reforms
In 2021, the committee of inquiry recommended that journalists be better protected against political and economic pressure and their role institutionally strengthened, yet the country is still waiting for comprehensive media reform.
asserted
country → recommend → reform
Following years of discussion and a public consultation, the Maltese government brought the relevant bill before parliament in March 2026, but the legislation was not passed before early parliamentary elections in May.
uncertain
legislation → follow → May
In its latest Rule of Law Report, the European Commission only certifies limited progress made by Malta.
asserted
Commission → certify → Malta
It acknowledges that it has introduced some specific protection measures for journalists, but says core recommendations from the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia remain unfulfilled.
asserted
recommendations → acknowledge → Galizia
Government sees progress
asserted
Government → see → progress
But the government paints a different picture.
asserted
government → paint → picture
It has highlighted changes to the judiciary and anti-corruption measures, as well as better protection of journalistic sources, and additional measures to protect media professionals.
asserted
It → highlight → professionals
This is what the EU Commission referred to as progress in specific areas.
asserted
Commission → refer → areas
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
