Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: businessman arrested
Yorgen Fenech detained after Malta’s PM offers pardon to alleged middleman in return for identity of assassin
A Maltese businessman has been arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia two years ago.
Yorgen Fenech was detained by armed officers after his yacht was intercepted trying to flee the island. The Times of Malta says he was believed to be en route to Italy, although that was not believed to be his final destination.
The dramatic swoop by Maltese armed forces came a day after the country’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promised an alleged middleman in Caruana Galizi’s murder a pardon in return for identifying the mastermind behind the assassination.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Three men - brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and their friend Vincent Muscat (unrelated to the prime minister) - have been charged with triggering the car bomb that killed the renowned investigative journalist near her home in October 2017. All three pleaded not guilty in pre-trial proceedings.
Despite the arrests “Malta's handling of the case has drawn international criticism”, amid growing clamour to find out who ordered the killing and why, says the BBC.
In September, the government made a surprise u-turn and appointed a retired judge to head a public inquiry into the killing but “concerns about the time it has taken to bring her killers to book have led to questions about the rule of law in Europe’s smallest member state”, says The Guardian.
Over the course of a 30-year career, Caruana Galizia earned a reputation as a “one-woman WikiLeaks” for her work uncovering corruption in Malta.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Al Jazeera says “the prime minister and his family were among those accused by Caruana Galizia’s investigations and her blog, which often launched highly personal attacks”.
Muscat has faced opposition calls to resign over his handling of the case and alleged links between members of his administration and Fenech.
A subsequent investigation by the Daphne Project, a collective of journalists set up to continue Caruana Galizia’s reporting and investigate her death, reported last year that Fenech was the owner of a shell company called 17 Black.
Before she died, Caruana Galizia reported that the company was due to make substantial payments into two other shell companies, registered in Panama, belonging to two members of Malta’s ruling Labour administration.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Who actually needs life insurance?
The Explainer If you have kids or are worried about passing on debt, the added security may be worth it
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Sexual wellness trends to know, from products and therapies to retreats and hotels
The Week Recommends Talking about pleasure and sexual health is becoming less taboo
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Sydney mall attacker may have targeted women
Speed Read Police commissioner says gender of victims is 'area of interest' to investigators
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why are kidnappings in Nigeria on the rise again?
Today's Big Question Hundreds of children and displaced people are missing as kidnap-for-ransom 'bandits' return
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
How the idyllic Galapagos Islands became staging post in world drug trade
Under the radar Ecuador's crackdown on gang violence forces drug traffickers into Pacific routes to meet cocaine demand
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Armed gangs, prison breaks and on-air hostages: how Ecuador was plunged into crisis
The Explainer Gangs launch deadly revenge after president declares state of emergency following escape of feared drug boss from prison
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Ecuador tips toward chaos amid prison breaks, armed TV takeover
Speed Read New President Daniel Noboa authorized the military to 'neutralize' powerful drug-linked gangs after they unleashed violence and terror across Ecuador
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Prague shooting: student kills 14 people at university
Speed reads Police believe suspect, who killed himself, may have shot his father before carrying out mass murder
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Ex-US diplomat confessed spying for Cuba to undercover agent, FBI says
Speed Read DOJ says former US ambassador Manuel Rocha perpetrated 'one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published