A Maltese court has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the 2017 car-bomb killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech, one of Malta's richest men, was found not guilty on both charges he faced regarding the assassination of the 53-year-old anti-corruption reporter.
Caruana Galizia had written extensively about suspected corruption in Maltese political and business circles. Her murder shocked the world and put the European Union's smallest member state in the spotlight over apparent rule-of-law failings and a culture of impunity.
The case set off a political firestorm in Malta. Fenech's 2019 arrest, as he was sailing away from the country on his yacht, sparked mass protests that eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Muscat.
The acquittal has drawn condemnation from press freedom advocates and the victim's family, who stated the decision denies Caruana Galizia justice. Her son described the verdict as a terrible decision. The ruling is seen as a blow to those who viewed the case as a landmark action in the fight to protect press freedom in Europe.