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gen's name was linked direct- ly to Schembri and Mizzi. The latter denied knowing anything about 17 Black, while Schem- bri later said the Panama com- pany and its link to 17 Black were part of his plans to further his personal business interests once he was no longer involved in politics. Both men denied wrongdoing. The arrest By 2017 Yorgen Fenech was at the helm of the Tumas Group. He took the company's reins after his father, aged 63, passed away in 2014. Yorgen held the post until November 2019 when he was arrested in connection with Caruana Galizia's murder. The company reins then passed on to his uncle, Ray Fenech and Yorgen's director- ship of the Tumas Group was passed on to his elder brother, Franco Fenech. Franco only held the post for a brief period, later moving away from the firm but remaining a shareholder. Franco passed away at the age of 47 last May on the Greek island of Corfu, where he was based. An amateur boxer, Franco had in the past opened up about his years-long struggle with cocaine addiction, something that often put him at loggerheads with his younger brother Yorgen. Nonetheless, Yorgen himself succumbed to cocaine use at some point be- fore his arrest. Franco's death leaves Yor- gen and their mother, Patricia, the only direct heirs of George Fenech. Friends in high places Yorgen Fenech is described by friends and people who worked with him as affable—an ap- proachable person, always ready to listen and help out even if shy. He also struck up a close re- lationship with Keith Schembri and former Prime Minister Jo- 9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 JULY 2026 FEATURE Group's point man in Electrogas deal Vincent Muscat Muscat addresses a press conference to announce that the arrests are linked to the Caruana Galizia murder. Hours later, another two people are arrested. 2018 18 April 2018: The Daphne Project reveals that 17 Black and a second company, Macbridge, were listed as a "target clients" of the Panama companies opened for Mizzi and Schembri. The prime minister's chief of staff releases a press statement admitting his company, Tillgate, had drafted business plans with 17 Black and Macbridge but nothing ever came out of them. He also denies money transfers occurred between the companies. April November 19 November 2019: Joseph Muscat announces he will recommend a presidential pardon to middleman Melvin Theuma. 20 November 2019: Yorgen Fenech is arrested on his yacht as it leaves from the Portomaso Marina. He is taken in for questioning and is identified as a "person of interest" in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation. 23 November 2019: Yorgen Fenech requests a pardon. This is turned down. 26 November 2019: Keith Schembri resigns from OPM chief of staff after Fenech implicates him in the murder plot. Schembri is interrogated but never charged. December 1 December 2019: Yorgen Fenech is arraigned in court and accused of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. He denies the charges. He is remanded in custody. 2021 February 23 February 2021: Hitman Vince Muscat, known as 'Il-Koħħu' pleads guilty to his involvement in Caruana Galizia's murder and is sentenced to 15 years in prison as part of a plea bargain to reveal details of the murder plot and the unconnected murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop. 24 February 2021: The Maksar brothers, Adrian and Robert Agius and their associates Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio, who is already in custody, are arrested and charged in connection with the murders of Caruana Galizia and Chircop. Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are specifically accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. October 14 October 2022: George and Alfred Degiorgio plead guilty to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia just hours into the first day of their trial. They are sentenced by Judge Edwina Grima to 40 years in prison each. 2025 24 January 2025: Yorgen Fenech gets bail after five years in prison. His aunt serves as guarantor against €50 million worth of shares in the Tumas Group. January June 5 June 2025: In a maxi-trial of the Maksar Gang, all four members are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are specifically found guilty of supplying the bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia, while Adrian Agius, George Degiorgio and Jamie Vella are found guilty of Carmel Chircop's murder. The key prosecution witness is Vince Muscat, who is given a pardon over his role in the Chircop murder. 2019 9 November 2018: Reuters reveals that the owner of 17 Black is Tumas Group CEO Yorgen Fenech and the company has an account at Noor Bank in Dubai. Reuters says an FIAU report identifying Fenech as 17 Black's owner was sent to the police in the spring of 2018 for a money laundering investigation. November 2026 1 July 2026: The trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech accused of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia begins. 2022 March 26 March 2022: Labour Party under Prime Minister Robert Abela wins its third consecutive mandate in a general election. Robert Agius CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE > Follow the trial by jury on MaltaToday's live blog from inside the courtroom maltatoday.com.mt Tumas Group George Fenech, Yorgen's later father