Malta: Two convicted in 2017 murder of journalist – DW – 06/06/2025
A Maltese court convicted two men of supplying explosives used to assassinate an investigative journalist. Daphne Caruana Galizia, who reported on government corruption, was killed with a car bomb.
A Maltese court pronounced Robert Agius (41) and Jamie Vella (42) guilty of complicity in the October 16, 2017, assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia late Thursday. The two were convicted of supplying military-grade explosives to killers targeting Caruana Galizia with a car bomb.
The 53-year-old journalist wrote extensively about government corruption and crooked business deals. Much of her investigative focus during the time leading up to her targeted killing was trained on the inner circle of then President Joseph Muscat.
Her brazen killing shocked Europe and sparked protests on the Mediterranean island.
Protesters rallied against Muscat over his perceived efforts to shield friends and allies in a later investigation into the murder. He eventually resigned from office in 2019.
Though a 2021 public inquiry found no evidence of direct government involvement in Caruana Galizia's murder, it did attest to a "climate of impunity" within the administration toward those who may have wanted to do her harm.
On Friday, the slain journalist's family said the verdict brings them "a step closer to justice."
"Yet, eight years after Daphne's brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed," the family added.
Yorgen Fenech stands accused of putting together the Daphne Caruana Galizia assasination Image: AP Photo/picture alliance
What else do we know about the trial into Caruana Galizia's murder?
Agius and Vella are expected to be sentenced early next week, with prosecutors seeking life sentences for both men.
They are the fifth individuals to be convicted thus far in connection with Caruana Galizia's assassination.
Two men, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, are serving 40 year sentences for carrying out the murder.
Vince Muscat was convicted along with the Degiorgios but given a 15-year reduced sentence and a pardon in another murder case for providing key witness testimony that led to the convictions of Agius and Vella.
A sixth man, Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech — who was among those with close ties to the Muscat government — currently awaits trial on charges that he masterminded the Caruana Galizia hit.
Fenech was arrested in November 2019, attempting to flee the country on his yacht. He was granted bail in January 2025. No date has been set for his trial yet.
Political crisis in Malta
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Edited by: Rana Taha
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
5 hours ago
- DW
US updates: Trump warns Musk against backing Democrats – DW – 06/07/2025
06/07/2025 June 7, 2025 Trump warns Musk against funding Democrats Musk has claimed that Trump would have lost the election without his support Image: Brandon Bell/REUTERS US President Donald Trump has warned Elon Musk that the tech billionaire would face "serious consequences" if he funds Democratic candidates running against Republicans who have backed Trump's signature tax bill. The legislation has been at the heart of the pair's very public break up, after Musk took to his social media platform X on Thursday to slam what Trump has touted as his "big, beautiful" tax bill. Musk, who was one of Trump's top donors in the 2024 presidential election, has called the bill "an abomination." It has been suggested that the South Africa-born billionaire might look to punish Republicans who voted for the spending bill by backing their Democratic opponents in primary elections in November. In an interview with US broadcaster NBC News, Trump said Musk would "have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," without specifying what they would look like. The US president also said he had "no" desire to mend his relationship with Musk, who he called "disrespectful," and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." Musk and Trump had been close allies, with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO serving as a special advisor overseeing Trump's cost-cutting initiatives at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until he left the role on May 30. Trump and Musk escalate war of words To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Within days, the pair became embroiled in a bitter argument that has played out on social media. As the argument escalated, Musk alleged on X — in posts that have since been deleted — that Trump was implicated in the unreleased government files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who hanged himself in his prison cell in 2019 awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk said in the now-deleted posts, without providing evidence backing his claim. "That is the real reason they have not been made public." Trump spoke to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted those posts. In the interview, the president dismissed the claims as "old news" and said "even Epstein's lawyer said I had nothing to do with" the late financiers' alleged crimes.
DW
12 hours ago
- DW
Friedrich Merz brings new political style to Germany – DW – 06/07/2025
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Washington was met with favorable coverage back home, with many hailing a new political style that contrasts with that of his predecessors, Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel. The consensus was that he handled it quite well: The new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz got through his first visit to US President Donald Trump without any heated exchanges or diplomatic faux pas. Although he hardly had a chance to speak during the nearly 50-minute press conference in the Oval Office, he was able to say that Germany will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. For his part, Trump treated the conservative politician with more respect than he did former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was not invited to the White House, or Angela Merkel, whom Trump once famously refused to shake hands with in the Oval Office. Things have been pretty busy in German politics since May 6, when Merz, of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), took office. Since then, Germany's new head of government has made surprising statements and bold announcements nearly every week. 'A very close cooperation' says Merz after meeting Trump To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This is in contrast to his predecessor Scholz, of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), who became known for his tendency to keep the public in the dark about his plans. Scholz had consistently urged his staff to adhere to the motto: "We will not be upset, we will not become hysterical." In other words, he was at pains to convey a sense of calm. Merz: A politician full of impatience Merz, on the other hand, never hid his impatience at having to wait so long in the wings before finally securing the office he so coveted: In 2002, he lost a power struggle with Merkel for the leadership of the CDU. Frustrated, Merz moved into the private sector and only returned to politics when it became clear that Merkel intended to step down in 2021. Four years later, at the age of 69, he finally reached the pinnacle of power in Germany. The chancellorship is the first public office Merz has held in his life. Scholz and Merz couldn't have more different personalities. The former is a sober, soft-spoken northern German who had plenty of government experience before he became chancellor. Scholz was the mayor of Hamburg and then the federal finance minister under Merkel. By contrast, Merz, by nature very conservative and easily irritated, rose quickly through his party ranks even without administrative political experience. Nor are the two politicians particularly fond of each other. 'What can we do?' versus 'We must do this!' DW Chief Political Editor Michaela Küfner knows both men well, having accompanied the two leaders on several foreign trips. Reflecting on the different styles of the two politicians and their predecessor, she noted: "While Merkel always thought with the outcome in mind and Scholz was reluctant to even describe a political goal before he had paved the way for it, Merz clearly defines his goals." According to Küfner's analysis, this represents a significant political shift in itself. Germany promises Ukraine around €5 billion more in support To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Policy on Ukraine It took Scholz until the summer of 2022 to visit Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia in the spring of that year. For a long time, Scholz remained secretive about whether he would supply weapons to the embattled country — though in the end he did. Merz, on the other hand, visited Ukraine within days of taking office, together with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, when they announced that there would soon be a ceasefire and peace talks. But this still hasn't come to pass, while President Donald Trump appears to have backed out of his earlier commitment to forge a lasting peace. Given the US president's unpredictability, this was not really a surprise, something Scholz would certainly have taken into account. "Following the strong performance with Macron, Tusk, and Starmer came this diplomatic embarrassment," says Berlin-based correspondent Küfner. "Merz still has to prove that this defeat can translate into strong leadership." Why is Germany toughening its tone on Israel now? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany and Israel The change in style in Germany's policy toward Israel is even more noticeable. After the Islamist militia Hamas attacked Israelin October 2023, Scholz's response was essentially to insist on Israel's right to defend itself. This remained his stance even as the Israeli army took increasingly brutal action against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. The European Union, as well as the United States, Germany and several other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. As an opposition politician at the time, Merz also showed strong support for Israel and even announced that, unlike Scholz, he would demonstrate that support by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the chancellery. That stance did not waver even after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last November for crimes against humanity. But soon after taking office, he made something of a U-turn: A few days ago, Merz said he no longer understood Israel's actions in the Gaza war, before adding that they could no longer be justified as a legitimate fight against Hamas terrorism. Never before has a chancellor spoken so bluntly about the actions of the Israeli government. Küfner says: "Merz's criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza is a historic step. He is not afraid to directly criticize the Israeli prime minister about alleged violations of international law. This is a new tone from Germany." With this, Merz begged a question that Scholz had successfully avoided: How far does the German reason of state, the commitment to Israel's security, actually extend? What this will mean in practical terms for German-Israeli relations remains to be seen. Even under Scholz, arms deliveries to Israel had been relatively limited, and Merz has not announced an end to these deliveries. Nor has he repeated his earlier invitation to Netanyahu. In practical terms, not much has really changed, but the tone is definitely different. This is likely to continue over the coming weeks. Germany will have to get used to the chancellor's new political style. Meanwhile, Scholz is now observing all this from his position as an ordinary member of the Bundestag. And he has not yet made any comments on his successor's policies. This article was originally written in German. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
19 hours ago
- DW
Mideast: Body of Thai hostage retrieved from Gaza — Israel – DW – 06/07/2025
Skip next section Iran condemns US travel ban, says it indicates 'racist mentality' 06/07/2025 June 7, 2025 Iran condemns US travel ban, says it indicates 'racist mentality' Iran on Saturday condemned US President Donald Trump's administration for imposing a travel ban on Iranian citizens as well nationals from 11 other mostly Middle Eastern and African nations. The travel ban will come into effect on June 9. Trump issues travel ban for people from 12 countries To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Alireza Hashemi-Raja, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's director general for the affairs of Iranians abroad, said the policy shows "a clear sign of the dominance of a supremacist and racist mentality among American policymakers." The ban also applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Seven other nations are being hit with partial travel restrictions.
