Two men jailed for life for supplying car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia
The sentencing on Tuesday of Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, reported to be members of the island's criminal underworld, marked a significant step in the long campaign to bring those charged with Caruana Galizia's murder to justice.
Her death in October 2017 sparked outrage across Europe and embroiled Malta's governing party in accusations of a coverup, ultimately leading to the resignation of the prime minister Joseph Muscat.
Prosecutors have brought charges against seven people, including a millionaire businessman who is still awaiting trial.
Agius and Vella, who had pleaded not guilty, were sentenced after their conviction on Friday last week. Jurors returned an 8-1 verdict after a trial that lasted more than six weeks.
They were found to have taken payment for supplying the device, which was hidden in a children's shoe box and planted under the seat of the journalist's car. It was detonated remotely as she drove away from her home.
Under Maltese law, those serving life sentences remain in prison until death. They are not eligible for parole or any other form of early release.
Prosecutors had argued on Tuesday that the punishment should send a strong message to the public, both locally and internationally. Press freedom groups across Europe have followed the case closely.
'We hope that today's sentences will be a step towards a safer world for journalists by signalling to potential killers that there are heavy penalties to pay when a journalist is murdered,' Caruana Galizia's family said in a statement.
'The car bomb attack that killed Daphne sent shock waves through Maltese society that reverberated around the world. Her assassination created a sense in society that the people behind her murder were sure of their impunity and that the institutions that were duty-bound to protect her and society had failed.'
Two men accused of planting and detonating the device, brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, are serving 40-year jail terms after pleading guilty. A third man, Vince Muscat, who also admitted his role in the murder, is serving 15 years after turning state's evidence.
Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver who claims he acted as middleman, secured a presidential pardon in exchange for giving evidence and is living under police protection.
Sign up to This is Europe
The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment
after newsletter promotion
Yorgen Fenech, the heir to a casino and hotels group, was arrested and charged with complicity to kill Caruana Galizia in November 2019. He denies the charges. Delays in bringing the case before a jury have allowed his lawyers to successfully argue for bail, and he was released in February after pledging €50m (£42m) in cash and shares as security.
Because they pleaded not guilty, Vella and Agius were the first among the accused to actually stand trial. They were arrested in 2021, based on evidence provided by Muscat. His testimony was crucial in trial, which heard from 157 witnesses, including the victim's families and members of the FBI, which had assisted local police with the investigation.
The court heard that the original plan was to shoot the journalist, with Vella providing the hitmen with rifles and an AK-47. The plans were changed, however, and the killers opted for a bomb instead. It was placed in her car during the night and detonated remotely the next day, using a command sent via text message by George Degiorgio while he was cruising aboard a motor boat.
Prosecutors told the court that the motive for the murder was Caruana Galizia's 'journalistic work'.
In the same trial, Vella was convicted of complicity in a second, unrelated murder – the killing in 2015 of a Maltese lawyer, Carmel Chircop. Robert Agius's brother Adrian and George Degiorgio were also found guilty of complicity in the same crime.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Germany Christmas market attack suspect charged with murder and 338 counts of attempted murder
A man suspected of ramming a car into a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has been charged with murder. Five women and a boy died in the attack on 20 December, and many more people were wounded. Prosecutors have also charged the suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, with 338 counts of attempted murder, 309 counts of bodily harm, along with a motoring offence. The man, whose name has not officially been released in keeping with Germany's privacy rules, but who has previously been referred to as Taleb A, arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency. Prosecutors claim he aimed to kill as many people as possible and had spent several weeks planning the attack, which was carried out with a rented BMW, which reached speeds of up to 30mph (48kph). Officials state he was not under the influence of alcohol and allege the attack was motivated "out of dissatisfaction and frustration with the course and outcome of a civil law dispute and the failure of various criminal complaints." The youngest victim was nine-year-old Andre Gleissner, while the five women who died were aged between 45 and 75. Officials have said the suspect does not fit the usual profile of an extremist, but previously said he was flagged as a potential threat, including by Saudi authorities. He described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and on social media expressed support for the far-right. Prosecutors allege that he was acting alone and kept plans about his attack secret. The court in Magdeburg will decide whether to send the case to trial. Murder charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (26) accused of €17,000 bank thefts and having personal data of victims
A man is to stand trial for theft valued at more than €17,000 from two bank accounts and possessing a memory storage device with personal information on money laundering victims in Dublin. Joelle Mopiti (26), of Brookview Avenue, Tallaght, appeared at Dublin District Court on Tuesday following an investigation by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB). Advertisement He faces more than 30 charges, mainly for thefts from a man's and a woman's separate AIB accounts, stealing their bank cards, money laundering, and using a false instrument in 2020 and 2021. It is also alleged that he used the man's cards to withdraw cash in varying sums, make purchases of goods in shops and a fast food restaurant, and spend €5,000 on iPhones in stores in Dublin. It is alleged he took out a €3,500 loan in that injured party's name. He is also accused of having €7,000 in proceeds of crime in a Bank of Ireland and an An Post account. Advertisement According to the charges, he stole €4,200 from the woman's account. One charge alleges he aided, abetted, counselled or procured the commission of an offence by possessing a USB storage device which had the personal banking information of individuals who were victims of money laundering. It is also alleged that at an address in Clonsilla, Dublin, he used a false instrument, a fake AIB document. The charges are under the Theft and Fraud Act and the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. Advertisement Ireland Man (41) accused of threatening to burn down woman... Read More He appeared before Judge Cephas Power at Dublin District Court yesterday/today when Detective Garda Michael Harney said Mr Mopiti made no reply to the charges. The GNECB officer said the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on indictment in the Circuit Court. No plea was entered by Mr Mopiti, who did not address the court. There was no objection to bail with conditions; Judge Power ordered unemployed Mr Mopiti to sign on at his local Garda station three days a week, surrender his passport and not apply for other travel documents and to remain contactable on a phone number he has already supplied to gardaí. Judge Power adjourned the case for prosecutors to prepare a book of evidence and ordered the accused to appear again on September 22nd. Legal aid was granted after the judge noted the man was on social welfare.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
French government demands answers over streamer's death
The French government has launched an investigation into the death of online personality Raphaël Graven, known as "Jean Pormanove", who died in his sleep aged streamer had been livestreaming on the platform Kick prior to his death according to French media digital affairs and artificial intelligence (AI) minister Clara Chappaz wrote in a post on X on Tuesday Pormanove had been "humiliated" and "mistreated" during streams on the platform for months, and said an inquiry into his death was underway.A Kick spokesperson said the company was "urgently reviewing" circumstances around the streamer's death and working with stakeholders to investigate it. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jean Pormanove and extend our condolences to his family, friends and community," they told the spokesperson said the platform's community guidelines were "designed to protect creators" and said Kick is "committed to upholding these standards across our platform".Mr Graven had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across his various social media say he was found dead on Monday at his home in Contes, near on social media and local reports claim that prior to his death, Mr Graven was subjected to sleep deprivation and bouts of physical violence during lengthy streams on Chappaz called his death and experience of violence "an absolute horror".In addition to a judicial investigation, Ms Chappaz said she had referred the issue to Arcom, the French media regulator, and Pharos, a French system used to report online Cenazandotti, a fellow French streamer who appeared alongside Mr Graven in his recent streaming marathon, has asked followers not to share videos of his "last breath" in a post on Instagram.
