The Daphne Record

The court record

Court Cases

The murder investigation, prosecutions, trials and appeals in the order they happened; the status of every person prosecuted; and a register of others publicly named in testimony, inquiry findings or reporting. Charges are recorded as charges and verdicts as the court found them. Nothing here should be read as a finding against a person who has not been convicted.

Every step of the criminal case in the order it happened.

Showing 11 of 11 steps.

  1. InvestigationDeep-linked 2/2

    Magisterial inquiry opened into the car bombing

    Magisterial inquiry / Malta Police Force, with Europol and FBI assistance

    A magisterial inquiry was opened on the day of the killing and Maltese police were assisted by Europol and, at the government's request, by the FBI and Dutch forensic experts. The government said the device was probably detonated remotely.

    Parties: Republic of Malta · Malta Police Force

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  2. Arraignment & chargesDeep-linked 2/2

    Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat arraigned

    Court of Magistrates (Malta), sitting as a court of criminal inquiry

    Following a coordinated operation in which ten men were held, three were arraigned and charged with wilful homicide and related offences over the bombing. All three pleaded not guilty at arraignment and were denied bail; the remaining men were released.

    Parties: Attorney General of Malta · Alfred Degiorgio · George Degiorgio · Vincent Muscat

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  3. Arraignment & chargesDeep-linked 2/2

    Yorgen Fenech arrested and charged with complicity

    Court of Magistrates (Malta)

    Fenech was arrested aboard his yacht on 19 November 2019 and arraigned on 30 November on charges of complicity in the murder and criminal association. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody.

    Parties: Attorney General of Malta · Yorgen Fenech

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  4. Compilation & pardonsDeep-linked 2/2

    Presidential pardon granted to alleged middleman Melvin Theuma

    Office of the President of Malta; Court of Magistrates

    Melvin Theuma, described in the proceedings as the middleman between those who planted the bomb and whoever commissioned it, was granted a presidential pardon conditional on telling the whole truth. He gave evidence in the compilation of evidence in December 2019.

    Parties: Melvin Theuma · Attorney General of Malta

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  5. SentencingDeep-linked 3/3

    Vincent Muscat pleads guilty; sentenced to 15 years

    Criminal Court (Malta)

    Vincent Muscat admitted involvement in the murder and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment, a term reported as reduced in view of his cooperation with investigators. His information contributed to the arrest of three men suspected of supplying the bomb.

    Parties: Republic of Malta · Vincent Muscat

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  6. Public inquiryDeep-linked 3/3· 2 primary

    Public inquiry report published

    Board of Inquiry chaired by Mr Justice Emeritus Michael Mallia

    The board concluded that no evidence had emerged that the state as such played a role in the assassination, but that the state must bear responsibility for creating an atmosphere of impunity. The report set out recommendations on media protection and institutional reform.

    Parties: Board of Inquiry · Government of Malta · Caruana Galizia family

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  7. TrialDeep-linked 3/3

    Degiorgio brothers change plea on the first day of trial

    Criminal Court (Malta), trial by jury

    After jury selection had begun, Alfred and George Degiorgio pleaded guilty to the murder and were each sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment.

    Parties: Republic of Malta · Alfred Degiorgio · George Degiorgio

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  8. SentencingDeep-linked 3/3

    Robert Agius and Jamie Vella convicted and jailed for life

    Criminal Court (Malta), trial by jury

    A jury found Agius and Vella guilty of supplying and procuring the bomb used in the killing; both received life sentences. Both had pleaded not guilty.

    Parties: Republic of Malta · Robert Agius · Jamie Vella

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  10. TrialDeep-linked 3/3

    Prosecution evidence in the Fenech trial; Schembri cross-examined

    Criminal Court (Malta), trial by jury

    Keith Schembri gave evidence for the prosecution and was cross-examined by the defence, which put to him that his "fingerprints are everywhere". Both accounts were contested.

    Parties: Attorney General of Malta · Yorgen Fenech · Keith Schembri

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  11. TrialDeep-linked 4/4

    Jury returns an 8-1 not-guilty verdict for Yorgen Fenech

    Criminal Court (Malta), trial by jury

    The jury acquitted Fenech of complicity in the murder and of criminal association. The verdict does not disturb the convictions of the men who planted and supplied the bomb.

    Parties: Republic of Malta · Yorgen Fenech

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Notes on this record

  • No one has been convicted of commissioning the murder. The 2026 acquittal of Yorgen Fenech leaves that question unresolved before the Maltese courts.
  • Separate corruption proceedings involving figures named in Caruana Galizia's reporting continue and are contested by the defendants.
  • This page records charges, pleas and outcomes as reported in cited court coverage and primary documents. Where a matter is contested or under appeal it is described as such.

For the wider chronology see the main timeline, and for the inquiry findings see the public inquiry report.