Matthew Caruana Galizia Tells Jury Daphne Probed Yorgen Fenech Before 2017 Murder
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
Matthew Caruana Galizia Tells Jury Daphne Probed Yorgen Fenech Before 2017 Murder
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
Summary
Matthew Caruana Galizia told jurors his mother was still examining thousands of Electrogas emails when she was killed in the October 2017 car bombing, and that Yorgen Fenech appeared repeatedly in the material.
Panama Papers files and later leaks had, he said, drawn him into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s reporting on offshore companies linked to then energy minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri, though the judge limited testimony to document-backed evidence.
Fenech—heir to a major Maltese fortune and part-owner of Electrogas—is on trial accused of commissioning and paying for the murder; he denies the charges, and Fenech, Mizzi and Schembri all reject corruption allegations.
The court also heard Matthew recount hearing the explosion, running toward the smoke and finding his mother’s burning car, saying he later abandoned his career to help pursue accountability through the Daphne Project.
The testimony ties the killing to a wider corruption investigation around Malta’s power-station concession, a story that later prompted international condemnation and a European Parliament inquiry.
Why has Matthew Caruana Galizia’s testimony become pivotal in Yorgen Fenech’s trial over the 2017 car-bomb killing?
What did Daphne Caruana Galizia uncover about Electrogas and offshore companies before her murder, and can it explain who wanted her silenced?
Malta’s Electrogas Scandal: The 17 Black Corruption Network, Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Murder, and the Fight for Justice (2017–2026)
Overview
This report traces how Daphne Caruana Galizia and her son Matthew uncovered massive corruption in Malta’s Electrogas project through leaked documents, leading to Daphne’s assassination in 2017. Their findings, especially about the offshore company 17 Black owned by Yorgen Fenech, triggered international cooperation and a magisterial inquiry. With pressure from the opposition and civil society, Maltese authorities brought criminal charges against top officials by 2026. A public inquiry later found the state responsible for failing to protect Daphne, while ongoing activism and international scrutiny continue to push for institutional reform and justice in Malta.