Latest news with #JamieVella
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- The Guardian
Two men jailed for life for supplying car bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia
Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for supplying the car bomb that killed the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta eight years ago. 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.
Washington Post
10-06-2025
- Washington Post
Malta jury sentences 2 men to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist
VALLETTA, Malta — Two men were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of complicity in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. Both were found guilty of the charges last week and on Tuesday were given the maximum sentence of life in prison.
Sunday World
10-06-2025
- Sunday World
Two sentenced to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist
Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Ms Caruana Galizia Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in 2017 (AP) Two men have been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of complicity in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Ms Caruana Galizia. Both were found guilty of the charges last week and were given the maximum sentence of life in prison on Tuesday. Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered on October 16 2017 by a car bomb that was detonated while she was driving near her home. The journalist had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. Her murder shocked Europe and triggered angry protests in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel suits. The six-week trial also concerned the separate murder of a lawyer, Carmel Chircop, who was shot and killed in 2015. Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for that murder on Thursday. George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio both pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder of Ms Caruana Galizia. They were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. A third man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the Caruana Galizia murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He gave evidence in the recent jury trial after being granted a presidential pardon for his role in the Chircop murder on the condition he tell the whole truth. Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out of jail on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged complicity in the Caruana Galizia murder.
BreakingNews.ie
10-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Two sentenced to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist
Two men have been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of complicity in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Ms Caruana Galizia. Advertisement Both were found guilty of the charges last week and were given the maximum sentence of life in prison on Tuesday. Ms Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered on October 16 2017 by a car bomb that was detonated while she was driving near her home. The journalist had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. Her murder shocked Europe and triggered angry protests in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel suits. Advertisement The six-week trial also concerned the separate murder of a lawyer, Carmel Chircop, who was shot and killed in 2015. Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for that murder on Thursday. George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio both pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder of Ms Caruana Galizia. They were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. A third man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the Caruana Galizia murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Advertisement He gave evidence in the recent jury trial after being granted a presidential pardon for his role in the Chircop murder on the condition he tell the whole truth. Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out of jail on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged complicity in the Caruana Galizia murder.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- CTV News
Malta jury sentences 2 men to life in prison for supplying bomb that killed journalist
Flowers and a candle lie in front of a portrait of slain investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during a vigil outside the law courts in Valletta, Malta, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018. (AP Photo/Jonathan Borg, File) VALLETTA, Malta — Two men were sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday after being convicted of complicity in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Jamie Vella and Robert Agius were accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. Both were found guilty of the charges last week and on Tuesday were given the maximum sentence of life in prison. Caruana Galizia, 53, was murdered on Oct. 16, 2017, by a car bomb that was detonated while she was driving near her home. The journalist had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. Her murder shocked Europe and triggered angry protests in Malta. At the time of her death, she was facing more than 40 libel suits. The six-week trial also concerned the separate murder of a lawyer, Carmel Chircop, who was shot and killed in 2015. Two other men, George Degiorgio and Adrian Agius, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for that murder on Thursday. George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio both pleaded guilty in 2022 to carrying out the murder of Caruana Galizia. They were each sentenced to 40 years in prison. A third man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the Caruana Galizia murder, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He testified in the recent jury trial after being granted a presidential pardon for his role in the Chircop murder on the condition he tell the whole truth. Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, is currently out of jail on bail awaiting trial on charges of alleged complicity in the Caruana Galizia murder.
