Two men, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius, have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Malta after being found guilty of complicity in the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Vella and Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia on October 16, 2017, when her car exploded near her home. Both were convicted last week and received the maximum sentence of life imprisonment today.
Caruana Galizia was known for reporting on corruption in Malta’s political and business circles. Her assassination shocked Europe and sparked mass protests in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel lawsuits.
The six-week trial also covered the separate murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop, who was shot dead in 2015. Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were sentenced to life in prison today for that killing.
George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred pleaded guilty in 2022 to the murder of Caruana Galizia and were each sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Another man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the journalist’s murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He testified in the recent trial after receiving a presidential pardon in exchange for telling the full truth about his involvement in the Chircop case.
Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out on bail awaiting trial on charges of allegedly aiding in Caruana Galizia’s assassination.
