Convictions Mark Progress in Daphne Murder Case

“We didn’t want revenge. We want justice—for Daphne and for the crimes exposed in her reporting,” said Corinne Vella, sister of slain Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, following the sentencing of two men to life in prison for their role in the killing.

Vella said the sentences are a step toward justice and also significant for press freedom: “They help create a safer world for journalists.”

Caruana Galizia, Malta’s most prominent investigative journalist, was killed in a car bombing in October 2017 outside her home. Her murder highlighted issues of state corruption and the risks faced by journalists.

A public inquiry in 2021 found her death was preventable and that state institutions failed to protect her, creating an environment of impunity.

On June 10, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, members of a local crime gang, were sentenced to life for complicity in the murder. They supplied the bomb used in the attack.

“These sentences show that journalist killers face serious consequences,” said Vella. “People literally thought they could get away with murder. Now they see they can’t.”

Press freedom groups also welcomed the verdicts. Jamie Wiseman of the International Press Institute (IPI) said, “Convictions like these signal that such crimes won’t go unpunished. They are key to restoring media freedom.”

Still, concerns remain. Vella noted that many systemic failures identified by the public inquiry have not been addressed. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) agreed, saying the mastermind of the murder—businessman Yorgen Fenech—has yet to be tried, and most safety recommendations from the inquiry remain unimplemented.

RSF’s Pavol Szalai stressed, “The biggest deterrent would be a timely conviction of the mastermind. Globally, many masterminds escape justice while only intermediaries are punished.”

Three other men—Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat—were previously sentenced for planting and detonating the bomb. Another man, Melvin Theuma, received a pardon for revealing Fenech’s involvement.

Fenech, arrested in 2019, is currently out on bail and awaiting trial.

Vella concluded, “These convictions are progress—but justice for Daphne is not complete.”