Repubblika: Fenech acquittal does not end Malta’s reckoning over Daphne murder

Repubblika warned that Yorgen Fenech’s acquittal does not bring Malta’s reckoning with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to an end, calling for the full implementation of the recommendations made by the public inquiry five years ago.

The NGO said it was “shocked and profoundly disappointed” by the verdict, insisting that the prosecution had presented a “serious and compelling case.”

At the same time, Repubblika stressed that respect for the rule of law requires accepting the authority of the court and the jury’s decision, adding that it would not seek to retry the case in public.

It nevertheless insisted that allegations concerning leaks of confidential information, obstruction or interference in investigations, and improper contact involving public officials must be fully and independently investigated.

Repubblika argued that the verdict does not resolve the wider issues surrounding the assassination, including the corruption Caruana Galizia investigated, failures by the institutions that should have protected her, and the “culture of impunity” identified by the public inquiry.

While criminal responsibility is determined by the courts, Repubblika said, political responsibility is determined through democracy.

It said that those responsible for creating, sustaining or defending that culture should not be rehabilitated as statesmen or returned to positions of authority and influence.

Repubblika noted that, five years after the public inquiry published its findings, almost none of its proposed reforms have been implemented. It called for their urgent implementation, alongside stronger measures against corruption and abuse of public office.

It also called for greater safeguards against organised crime and obstruction of justice, stronger protections for journalists, and better guarantees for access to information and independent journalism.

“Protecting journalists does not mean assigning them bodyguards after somebody decides to kill them,” Repubblika said. “It means building a country in which exposing corruption does not make a journalist the enemy of the State.”

The NGO further pointed out that serious allegations arising from matters investigated by Caruana Galizia remain inadequately investigated or unprosecuted. It called for every credible allegation to be pursued independently, regardless of the political, economic or social power of those involved.

These problems cannot be treated as belonging solely to the past, Repubblika said, arguing that corruption scandals continue to emerge without consequences while institutions responsible for protecting the rule of law remain vulnerable to political pressure.

To address these shortcomings, the NGO called for legislative changes to close potential gaps in Maltese criminal law relating to organised crime, obstruction of investigations and abuse of public office.

It also demanded greater structural and operational independence for the police, insisting that investigators must be free to follow evidence wherever it leads, including Castille, ministries, political parties, major businesses or the police force itself.

“Yesterday a trial ended,” Repubblika concluded. “The work that Malta has still not done remains.”