Yorgen Fenech, a wealthy Maltese businessman and heir to a property empire, went on trial Wednesday for allegedly orchestrating the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The trial comes more than nine years after the journalist was killed in a 2017 car-bomb attack near her home.
Prosecutors allege that the 44-year-old Fenech plotted the killing and paid €150,000 for three hitmen to carry out the murder. Fenech, whose property empire includes the Hilton Malta hotel and casino, is one of seven men accused of involvement in the killing and is the last to face trial.
Caruana Galizia had used her investigative work to expose corruption at the highest levels in Malta. Her reporting shone a spotlight on murky links between the country's political and business elites.
Fenech denies all charges.