Malta Sentences Two Men to Life for Journalist Bombing

Two men, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Maltese court for supplying the bomb that killed investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. The car bomb assassination, which shocked Malta and Europe, targeted Caruana Galizia due to her extensive reporting on corruption involving political and business figures, including members of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's inner circle. The trial, lasting over six weeks, concluded with an 8-1 jury verdict finding the men guilty of providing explosives for money, despite their pleas of innocence. Previous convictions related to the murder include brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, sentenced to 40 years for carrying out the bombing, and Vincent Muscat, sentenced to 15 years after cooperating with authorities. The investigation also revealed the bomb was detonated remotely and involved military-grade explosives transported covertly. A prominent Maltese businessman, Yorgen Fenech, is currently out on bail awaiting trial for alleged complicity in the murder.