Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela spoke “another important step in bringing justice to the Caruana Galizia family”. Two brothers, George and Alfred Degiorgio, were sentenced to 40 years in prison each in Valletta (Malta) on Friday (October 14) for the 2017 murder of Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The two brothers, who pleaded guilty on the first day of their trial, were convicted of making, planting and detonating the bomb that killed the 53-year-old journalist in her car. The death of the journalist, on October 16, 2017, had strongly shaken the smallest state in the European Union and horrified its neighbors.
“Three people have now been convicted for this murder and three others await trial. We remain committed to seeing justice done for the family and for Malta.”, reacted Robert Abela on Twitter. A third man involved in this assassination, Vincent Muscat, had indeed been sentenced to 15 years in prison last year. On the other hand, the rich businessman suspected of having ordered the murder, Yorgen Fenech, has not yet been tried. He denies any involvement.
The death of Daphne Caruana Galizia caused a scandal in Malta, notably leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in January 2020. The head of government was accused of trying to cover up his friends and political allies splashed by this murder.
According to a public inquiry, the results of which were published in 2021, the Maltese State bears some responsibility for the murder of the journalist, in particular for having created a “climate of impunity” for those who wanted to silence her. The journalist, who denounced endemic corruption in Malta in her blog Running Commentary, was killed near her home just hours after posting this message: “There are corrupt people everywhere. The situation is desperate”.
In a statement, Reporters Without Borders “greeted” the verdict, while “stressing the need for all those involved in this assassination to be brought to justice”.